Because of You, For You and Only You
by Twilight Cherry
Summary: Just read and see. I don't know what to summarize. AZUMAXKAHO. You had been warned! ON HIATUS
1. Because of You

**I love AZUMAXKAHO pairing! So obviously, the pairing for this story is these two! For those who read my other stories, I'm sorry I did not use the time to update but I just can't discipline myself enough to complete a story before starting another! Haha…**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 1**

**Because of You**

……**.**

"Hino Kahoko…" A man with long purple hair whispered to himself. A smile appeared on the rather pale face, a sinister smile filled with a mischievous aura. He continued to observe the scarlet haired violinist playing on the rooftop, unaware of his presence. Her eyes were closed as she tried hard to concentrate on making the melody as smooth and flowing as possible. The man began to walk silently towards the girl as the song came near to the end. As she slowly slides the last note with her bow, the pretty guy was practically inches behind her, so close that he could just smell the scent of her hair. When she lifted her bow from the strings of the violin, her eyes snapped open immediately because she felt a strong pair of arms circling her waist, pulling her back. Her body came into contact with another and his chin rested on her right shoulder, his breath tickling her ear. She gasped with surprise as a warm gush of air blew her ear as he whisper again, "Kahoko…"

"Yu-Yunoki-senpai!" she stuttered. Her feelings of shocked, scared, worried, embarrassed and concerned were all jumbled up. It was not easy facing this man who has two personalities; a pure and kind white side and a mean and threatening black side. She opened her mouth to speak again but was hushed by a single finger of his. The grip around her abdomen tightened though not too tight for discomfort pulled her deeper into him.

'_Yunoki-senpai is so warm… Ehh?!! What am I thinking about?' _Hino thought as her face turn beet red, a similar shade to her hair. Fortunately for her, she was not facing him. She started to wriggle a little and the man noticing her shyness loosened the embrace but did not completely release from his circle. "Embarrassed, aren't we? Well, Kanazawa-sensei just asked me to pass you the message to gather at the practice room later. Something about the concours participant and summer practice…"

The red haired nodded vigorously as the senpai watched in amusement. The young man released her and headed towards the door, "Then, later…"

**.......**

"Come to the entrance hall right after dinner… It's a promise!" Yunoki said with a smile. She was surprised. "Why…"

Nevertheless, she knows well enough what will happens if she were to ignore that man's order thus overcoming her fear for that man. She followed him to the garden. The water from the statue fountain trickled softly and the sound of crickets were creating a symphony. As the purple haired man walked on, she was confused.

"Um…Yunoki-senpai?" She blurted out, walking another few more steps before a really exotic smell reached her nose._ 'What's this smell? It smells really sweet…' _She wondered as the soothing aura of the surrounding calm her nerves.

"Have a look. Look at these white flowers." Yunoki's instructions re-alert her relaxed mind. With curiosity of a child she asked, "These are…?"

"It's the Queen of the Night. It's a flower that only blooms for one summer night." Bending her head near one of the flower's bud, she inhaled the flower's scent deeply. "It smells really sweet…"

"It's a reward, Hino," the senpai stated. Hino straighten and looked up confusedly. "A reward?

"Because you made me enjoy myself during the concours, after all…" She stared at him as a gentle breeze blew through. "I'll play one song especially for you… Just for you…"

As he said that, his eyes caught hers. She gasped silently, cheeks turning slightly red when he looked at her with the corner of his eyes. Bringing the golden flute of his to his pale, well-formed lips, he blew gently into them, playing Notturno d'amore "Serenade".

'_Hino, my rhythm always gets messed up when you're around. For me to oppose my grandmother and cancel the transfer… But thanks to that, my life from now on… seems to be a little more enjoyable… This is a reward for that…Kahoko…' _The young man thought of these words when he played, trying to convey them through his music as the flowers bloom. The gentle wind tugged slowly at the long purple hair as the girl listened attentively in awed, not noticing that her cheeks had turned slightly darker red than before. The full moon shone brightly above the two of them as the last note was played.

"How was it? Was it to you liking?" the man questioned the shy girl. "Y-Yes…" she managed to mutter out.

"You sure are cute, Kahoko…" Yunoki laughed softly as Hino's cheeks were tainted redder. The senpai walked slowly towards her and whispered into her ears like he always did. "I came back…because of you…"

Her eyes widen as he walked away back into the mansion. The night became sleepless for Hino.

**.......**

**A short chapter just for fun. I've seen quite a number of authors writing this scene already so you can skip it if you want but please read the next chapter. The next will be so much longer. I firstly thought I wanted to make this into a ONE SHOT but as I typed, it grew longer and longer. I had trouble deciding where to cut it too.**

**Just to let you know, this story had been typed and kept in my computer for the past two years if I'm not mistaken.**

**Twilight Cherry**


	2. Not a Good Night At All

**I told you this is very much longer. Let's cut the rambling and continue with the story.**

**Because of You, For You and Only You**

**Chapter 2**

**Not a Good Night At All**

……**.**

"A-ano… Kaho-senpai? My father gave me 7 tickets to a seaside hotel in Okinawa for 5 days. The manager of the hotel wanted us to perform on the third day of the trip during a charity ballroom dinner…I'm inviting all the concours' participants… Would you come?" a shy Fuyuumi asked Hino timidly when they went out together for tea. Hino smiled at the bashful girl and replied 'yes'. The green haired girl smiled happily.

And so, all seven concours' participant gathered together once again in a five-star hotel located just in front of the sea. Everyone was enthusiastically chatting away especially Hihara Kazuki and Yunoki Azuma who were entering university the coming spring and an interested Tsuchiura Ryoutarou. All except for Tsukimori Len and Shimizu Keiichi who stood aside listening to the other three while the two girls went to get keys for the rooms.

"Ano… Sorry for interrupting your talk but we have the keys to the rooms…" Fuyuumi Shouko mumbled silently. The boys did not notice the kouhai who was standing behind tall Tsuchiura. Hino who was just coming back from the toilet shook her head as she saw the shy girl trying to get their attention but to no avail. Hino ran a few steps to help her friend.

"We have four rooms, two with two single beds and two with king sized beds. Tsukimori-kun and Shimizu-kun will take a two bedded room while the other room will be taken by Hihara-senpai and Tsuchiura-kun. I will sleep with Fuyuumi-chan and the last room will be Yunoki-senpai's," Hino distributed the key cards to each of them. Tsukimori and Tsuchiura silently sighed in relieved that they did not need to share rooms with each other. They clearly remembered what happened the previous time they shared a room.

"It's getting late… We should put our things in and head for dinner," said Tsukimori coolly. Everyone nodded in agreement and headed to their rooms respectively which were big and magnificent. After dinner, the manager of the hotel came and brought them to the ballroom which they are supposed to perform in 3 days later. It was humongous, so big that it could probably hold a few thousand guests.

"We should also choose what song to perform for the group performance. Any suggestions?" asked Tsuchiura.

"Yeah…" everyone agreed as they cracked their head to come up with a song that all of them could play. However, one thing leads to another and they totally got off track from chatting about other things. Just then, Hihara yawned loudly.

"I'm sleepy… Can we think of it tomorrow? My brain is shutting down…" Hihara rubbed his eyes as Shimizu who was sitting on the stage stairs was already snoring silently.

"I guess that can't be helped. Oh well, tomorrow then. Oh! We are going to the amusement park tomorrow! Maybe we can get some hint on what to play then… Shimizu-kun, don't sleep here… You'll catch a cold here…" Hino shook the blonde haired boy but to receive no response.

"It's okay, Hino. I'll bring him back," Tsuchiura kindly offered. Heaving the boy in deep slumber, he headed back to their room as Hino bowed a thank you after him. After wishing everyone goodnight, Fuyuumi and Hino went back to their room to rest for the night in their luxurious room. A particular purple hair man walked a few steps quicker than his usual pace to catch up the girl with red hair who stopped in front of her room's corridor.

"Good night… Kahoko… Sweet dreams…" he whispered only to her ears as he walked pass her to his room and went in, leaving a hot-cheeked girl looking downwards at the floor while her roommate opened the door to their room, oblivious of what happened seconds ago. It took her sometime before she managed to fall asleep.

…**....**

"Hihara-senpai is late… Did he oversleep?" Hino said. "Mou… It's getting late…"

"Senpai said he had some things to pack," Shimizu said still half asleep. As soon as he finished saying it, a light green haired boy came running carrying a big bag pack on his back and a black rectangular box in his right hand.

"Sorry! Sorry I'm late!" panted the boy. All of them stare at the bulging bag pack in astonishment. Hino flipped open the cover with was not snapped in place and found a variety of baked goods; breads, cakes, sandwiches, cookies and tarts. All of them sweat-dropped and looked at Hihara who was grinning away happily.

"I thought we would be hungry later…" Hihara said to them. "Let's go!"

People were starting to queue for the tickets when they arrived. Fuyuumi went to the back of the line to queue up as well but was stopped by a sandy brown haired man with spectacles waving vigorously from the ticket booth.

"Fuyuumi-sama and her friends do not need to queue up for her tickets. Manager had instructed that the young Miss and her friends are to enter without paying. Now, go in. Ohh, and by the way, everyone in there miss you very much. It's been a while since you last came here," the man said to Fuyuumi and the others with a polite bow. Fuyuumi was smiling happily as she dropped a little curtsy to the man.

"Thank you, Shori-san!" Fuyuumi gestured to her friends to the entrance after waving to the man. The amusement park was enormous equipped with every possible games and rides.

"Wow! It even has its own aquarium and beach side!" exclaimed Hino as she read through the map of the amusement. "Where should we go first then?"

"Umm… If senpai don't mind, I would like to go to the games booth first… There's a few oji-san that I would like to meet…" Fuyuumi timidly said. Hino smiled at her and looked at the boys. "There seems to be no objections, so let's go, Fuyuumi-chan!"

"Ahhh! Fuyuumi-ojouchan has come with her friends!" another man with night black hair shouted. They stopped by a booth with many cute soft toys which made the girls squeal.

"Now, gentlemen, who would like to try to get a toy for the girls? I'll give you two free shots!" a man in forties said winking at Fuyuumi as he twirled a gun and offered it. The boys looked at each other and stared back at the gun while Hino and Fuyuumi looked interestedly who will take the gun. Finally, a hand reached out at the gun and fired two shots within seconds. The shots found their targets on a bunny and a teddy bear which fall backwards when hit. The man smiled as he handed the toys to the boy who shot it down.

"What?! Stop looking at me like that! I used to go for target shooting!" a certain blue haired boy said in a flat tone when he gave the bunny to the green haired girl and the teddy bear to the red. The girls were delighted and thanked him gratefully. The other boys seemed to be shocked by the incident that just happened minutes ago. After recovering, they bowed at the man as Fuyuumi thanked him for the free shots. They walked off to another booth led by Hihara. A tall, stocky boy with blue eyes stood next to a basketball hoop.

"Would you like to try to get a keychain? If you get pass me and my friends, I'll let you choose one!" the boy said as his friends, four of them, came out with flashy smiles.

"Ok!" Hihara replied enthusiastically as he put down his bag and trumpet case. When he stood back up, he stretched and flexed his arms and body. Inhaling deeply, he took the orange ball from the boy and bounced it casually. Without a warning, he sprinted as fast as lightning and threw the ball into the hoop. Hihara jumped up joyfully and cheered as his friends clapped. The boy smiled and showed him a variety of music instrument key chains for him to choose.

"Wait… Can I have two more go?" Hihara asked, his eyes glowing happily. The boy looked at his friends who nodded. "This time, we won't let you get by so easy!"

Hihara took the ball again and bounced it up and down. He dashed again but this time the other boys were ready for him. However, when they thought he was going forward towards the hoop, Hihara suddenly stopped and jumped backwards, shooting the ball towards the basket with his extremely strong wrist. The ball went in and fell with a thumped and the other players opened their mouth in awed. Hihara ran and picked up the ball again for the last turn. This time, he dodged them and got near enough to the hoop to score easily. Hihara was still jumping in excitement as the others pant exhaustedly.

"Oh well… Lost is lost. You may choose three," the blue eyed boy said. Hihara chose a violin, a clarinet and a trumpet, giving the violin and the clarinet to the girls and attaching the trumpet keychain on his back pack.

"Thank you, Hihara-senpai! You've gotten better since the last time I saw you play," praised Hino as Hihara blushed slightly in happiness. "Thank you, Kaho-chan!"

"Arigatou, Hihara-senpai… Arigatou, Shawn-kun…" Fuyuumi said to the blue eye boy as he smiled at her and the green haired boy as he replied 'welcome'. The group of musicians continued walking as other visitors especially girls looked at Fuyuumi and Hino accompanied by five handsome and cool looking men in envious. Some girls even tried to ask for Yunoki's name and picture which he generously told and gave them. Eventually, they came to a large merry-go-round with a long queue murmuring silently and a man twisting and turning some wires in the generator box.

"What's the matter, Li-jiichan?" Fuyuumi asked the rather old man with dark blue and white hair and wrinkled forehead.

"Ahhh! Fuyuumi-jousama! The music is not working suddenly and a merry-go-round will not be merry without music," Li replied sadly. Fuyuumi peered into the box as the man tried to fix it, beads of perspiration dripping down his forehead slowly.

"Ano…I have a suggestion…. Is the motor working? If the merry-go-round can work… I will play to it," Shimizu said slowly. The man's eyes lit up as Hino and the others smiled at kind Shimizu. "Eh… Really? You would play to it? The motor is functioning perfectly fine. It's just the music…"

"Then let the customers on! You kids get on too!" The old man opened the gate into the ride and ushered them after Shimizu nodded and took his cello out of the case. The man gladly offered the blonde hair boy the chair near the counter with an 'on' button and another 'off' button which he uses to control the ride. The grateful man jabbed the 'on' button as Shimizu signaled him with a nod and started playing Le Cygne by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns.

"Shimizu-kun sure improved a lot in his cello playing," Hino said to the green-haired girl sitting opposite of her in a carriage. Fuyuumi just smiled dreamily in reply, face tinted with a light pink blush. After what seems like five minutes of more, the merry-go-round finally stopped. All the kids got down happily while Hino and the others waited at the exit for Shimizu to pack his cello.

"Thank you so much, Fuyuumi-jousama and friends!!" the man yelled after them. Fuyuumi, Hino and Hihara waved energetically to Li. Soon, a man in blue uniform came with a toolbox and started fixing the ride as the group of teens left. Just a second longer, a rumbling soound emitted from the group. Everyone turned and looked at Hihara with a huge grin, chuckling nervously. Hino sighed.

"I guess it's about lunch time. We should find a place for our picnic," suggested Hino as she rubbed her stomach which was starting to growl silently too. Walking around, they came to a nice, shady spot just opposite a café.

"Here should be a nice place. We can buy more food if Hihara's supply is not enough," Yunoki said as the green haired senpai bounced to the spot directly beneathe the tree and began to unpack his huge bag of food.

"Uwah! Senpai even brought a picnic cloth!" eclaimed Hino as he unfolded a checkered cloth on the grass. He then took out every single food in his bag. The kouhais sweat dropped by the amount of food he brought. There was every type of food imaginable for a very luxurious picnic although they only saw bakery goods that morning. Deep down in the bag, Hihara even managed to stuff a large bento box filled with mouth watering sushi and a few cups of instant ramen.

"Ara… You forget the drinks! I'll buy! What do you guys want to drink?" Hino suddenly exclaimed when all of them had sat down.

"Plain water will do…" the violinist and pianist said together. A high voltage electric current suddenly shot between the two eyes as they glare at each other.

"Ano… I would like iced lemon tea," shy Fuyuumi piped.

"Coffee… please…" the bishonen said in the usual slow, sleepy tone. Hino raised an eyebrow at the kouhai before mentioning, "Coffee? Are you feeling tired already, Shimizu-kun?"

"Iie…" There was no further explaination as he turned to grab a sandwich pack and opened it slowly.

"Kaho-chan, can you get me an isotonic drink? Sweating like this and using my energy just now in the basketball game…" Hihara said enthusiastically. Hino gave him a 'no problem' sign before turning the flutist who was just getting up.

"I can't make up my mind. I'll come along and see. You'll need help anyway." Yunoki smiled as Hino felt her body shiver a little. She knew that smile conceal a lot of other meanings behind it more than to the others who just sees it as a very charming smile.

"O..Ok," muttered Hino as she quickly turned around and walked away from their picnic spot without seeing if the purple haired man followed her or not. Her head shot up as if she was jolted with that intense electricity that flowed between Tsukimori and Tsuchiura just moments ago when a hand, as light as a feather, landed on her shoulder. Her movemet froze.

"Why are you walking so fast, Kahoko? Running away from me?" Yunoki suddenly whispered into her left ear. She prayed hard none of her friends were looking this way because she was turning red in the face and knew that it will rouse up a lot of things namely trouble.

"No… Not running… Just very thirsty…" Hino managed to squealed in a high pitched voice. The pale hand slided down her back before leaving her body completely but as it trailed down her spine, she trembled again. Her mind finally cleared enough for her to walk again, slower this time with the senpai inches behind her like a shadow. However, her heart was still thudding loudly in her ears. A number of customers in the café turned their heads as the bell hanging at the door chimed; most of the ladies' mouth fell at the handsome man that had just entered.

"Two bottles of mineral water, one iced lemon tea, one coffee, one isotonic drink and one orange juice. Yunoki-senpai? What do you want to drink?" She told to the lady at the counter before turning to face the man properly for the first time since they left the picnic spot. He smiled at the girl biting her lips as she questioned him before repeating the order to the lady which obviously did not properly listened to Hino because she was so entranced by him, adding another bottle of orange juice. The lady just nod dreamily when she punched the buttons on the machine strengthlessly. After what seems minutes, she riped the resit slowly and handed the two young teen two bags of drinks. Hino gladly grabbed the bags and quickly went out the café. She was definite that she heard the lady sighed because she knew that Yunoki was following her as fast as she was moving.

"I am supposed to help you to take the drinks, you know," Yunoki told the girl violinist, his breathe blowing softly at her neck. His hand reached down to hers to take over the bag, touching her soft hands for the shortest moment. She gasped soundlessly, her heart leaping before her other hand clenched tighter on the other bag and ran a little to the group.

"Here are the drinks!" She tried to sound as steady as possible and quickly grabbed a strawberry bun, stuffing it into her mouth. After she finished the bun and gulped down a few mouthful of juice, she felt herself calming down. She smiled at the others, "Ahh… I was starving!"

"Ohh… It's ok to be starving but be careful. You might choke," Tsukimori told her solemnly after getting over the amazement of how fast she ate. She smiled at the violinist and chuckled a little, " Well, I got over without choking so far! Thank you for worrying anyway, Tsukimori-kun!"

"It's nothing…" replied the blue headed boy who turned away from the red haired girl in order to hide the pinkish tint on his cheeks. Hino, used to his cool demeanor, took another pack of sandwiches and ate in a slower rate, listening to her friends chat. She smiled as she watch her friends from the concours; Hihara and Tsuchiura debate on next year's concours participants, Fuyuumi concerning on the swaying, half of his eyes closed cellist, the purple haired boy talking to Tsukimori about things that would be learnt in the music university. She silently thanked God and Lili for giving her the chance to enter this world of music.

……**.**

"So what song should we play? We only have one night and one day to practice!" Hihara said panicky. He started pacing up and down. The others couldn't help laughing at his serious but funny face. He looked at them with disbelief. "You guys are so confident in performing?"

"We already performed in front of public for exactly four times, Hihara." Yunoki said, chuckling. Tsuchiura went up to his senpai and friendly hit his back, teasing him, "You're not scared, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, Hihara-senpai. Apparently, they already selected a song for us to perform," the scarlet haired kouhai told him, stiffling a giggle. She took a folder from Fuyuumi and distributed their respective scores. Hihara looked at her pouting like little child. "Am I the last one to know?"

"No. Fuyuumi-chan and I are the only one who knows about it. The manager gave it to us when we came back from the amusement park." She assured him as the others were straightening themselves from laughing at Hihara antics. The hall was silent as they analysed their scores, imagining the sound of the music in their mind.

"Mazurka… It's quite like a waltz," Tsukimori said finally after everyone finished looking at their sheets of paper. They nodded in agreement when Fuyuumi suddenly chirped up, "I think I've heard this song before… I don't remember where…"

"It's from the ballet Coppelia. You might have seen it." The purpled haired senpai told her. Hino and the others listen in awed.

"The host must be a person who likes to watch ballads," Hino mused. Without wasting anymore of their precious time, they quickly discussed on their practicing plans. Finally, it is decided that tonight and tomorrow morning, they will practice their respective parts. After lunch, they will combined them together for the night. Everyone went back to their rooms to clean up with a strong enthusiasm to practice later.

……**.**

I stretched my hands out after placing my precious violin down in its case. I plopped myself on the bed, enjoying the sweet tune produced by Fuyuumi's clarinet. We had been practicing in our room, taking turns.

"Neh, Fuyuumi-chan. I'm going for a walk so if I come back late, go ahead and sleep, alright?" I told her as I slipped on my jacket. Though Okinawa is the warmest part of Japan, it can get quite cold at night, especially when the wind from the sea is blowing at you. She nodded and told me to be careful.

I walked aimlessly to the beach, inhaling the salty sea air that blew gently at my face. As I stared into the starry night, I thought of the little incident that happened between Yunoki-senpai and me. I blushed when I remembered the sensation of his touch. Those pale, smooth and long fingers that left a burning trail down my back and the back of my hand…

"Ahh!! What am I thinking?!" I scolded myself outloud. My little flashback was interupted by a tune. No, it's more of a melody. A song. My leg moved on their own towards the source of the music. When I was near enough to hear the song properly, I stopped and closed my eyes, listening to that music.

It was a flute playing the song. It started in a very rhythmic style but then, it morphed into a sad and painful melody, accompanied by slight anger and frustrations. Finally, it ended freely, like a bird let out from its cage. I had never hear a song like that. It was as if it was telling you its life. Something I noticed throughout the song was it was always clouded with a melancholic feel. Though the song ended for some time, it was still echoing in my mind.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot, Kahoko?" The melody in my head stopped playing as I was brought back to reality by a completely different yet melodious voice. A voice which I know so well. Only did I realized that his face was only a mere two inches away from mine. I gasped and stepped backwards, tripping over a rock. He caught my hand before I land on my shin and pulled me into his chest. Then, he stepped back a little, only a little, to allow me to regain my balance. That devillish smirk was on his face. I could still smell his perfume.

"No-Nothing…" I stammered, face flushing. This time, I watched my feet and stepped a little more further from him. Then, I bowed deeply and thanked him for helping me. "I was just taking a walk after practice."

"And lured here by my flute, is that it, Kahoko?" I shivered slightly as he bent forward and whispered my name. He walked past me to a large boulder and sat in a very gentlemanly way, motioning for me to sit beside him. I hesitated for a moment but quickly scooted to his side when I saw that smile turning into a straight, grim line. Sitting as far as I could from him, I watched his frown turn back into his dark smile.

"Neh, Kahoko. Why did you run away from me today?" He reached over and muttered in my ears. Though I said I sat as far as I could, the distance between me and him is only sufficient to fit a thin child since he was sitting almost in the middle. "N-No, I did not…"

"The next time you run away, I'll tie you up and punish you…" He said notoriously. I could feel the heat creeping into my face and I wriggled uncomfortably. Why must he always make me blush and so uncomfortable when we are alone together? And yet, for some unknown reasons, I never did hate the time we had together. In fact, I remember every single detail. Is it because of his split personality that leaves that strong impact on me?

"You heard the song, right? What did you think of it?" He asked suddenly. I looked at the sky, brightly lit by the stars, as I thought of how to say it out.

"It's like… a river." I finally decided. I looked at him timidly, searching for any sign of anger or other unpleasant emotions. "A river… Why?"

"Hmmm… At first, it was slowly flowing without any event. Then it turned into a fast flowing, raging river but later, it calmed down and flowed freely into the ocean. That's the image I get…." I explained. I bit my lips when I received no response from him. It's frustrating that he can be so emotionless sometimes. Not that I like it when he is angry or teasing me, I quickly told myself.

"Really?" He finally said after an awkward period of silence. My head bobbed up and down jerkily, face going red when he smile at me with that fae princely smile of his. How I wish the smile was genuine instead of masking his dark side. Nevertheless, it was still breathtaking.

"Yunoki-senpai's playing was so beautiful. Senpai had improved so much since the concours…" When he looked at me with an eyebrow raised, only did I realized I had blurted my thoughts out. My hand flew to my mouth as if I could stuff the words back in but I knew better than that. My head dropped low in embarassment.

"Don't look down, Kahoko. Thank you for the compliment." He lifted my chin upwards to look at him with his cool fingers. His face was doned with a smile I had never seen before on him. It was a gentle smile, pure and true from his heart. I could not help blushing at his lovely face, that smooth face which I longed to caress.

'_What are you thinking, Kahoko?!'_ I yelled at myself as loudly as I could, this time, properly keeping it within my mind. He dropped his fingers, chuckling. "What are thinking? You have quite a face there…"

"No-Nothing!" I snapped. There's no way I'm going to tell him what I just thought just now! He got up, placing the gold flute on the rough rock softly so that it would not get scratched. He then unwind the purple scarf that was around his neck while I watched, still scolding myself for thinking such nonsense.

"You'll catch cold without a scarf…" He said as he drapped his around me, fingers trailed momentarily around my neck. I could feel my heart trembling. I did not need a mirror to tell me my whole head was red. He then placed a butterfly kiss on my cheek before picking up the flute, walking back to the hotel.

"Good night, Kahoko…" I watched his back as he left. My hand reached up to touch the skin that he had just kissed with his lips, inhaling his scent that was floating from his scarf. What is this warm feeling that is swelling in me? I fell on my knees into the soft sand as my legs turned into jellies.

……**.**

**You guys really need to thank your lucky stars. Never in history I upload two chapters in two days consequently! You guys are really lucky! So, you know what to do! REVIEW PLEASE!**

**The next chapter will not be uploaded so quickly, mind you! This chapter was collecting dust in my computer so I decided to post it quickly. (It was part of the first chapter which I cut to be this chapter) I still got two weeks of exam running. Yeah, it's exam time now but tomorrow is an easy subject for me so I'm free. **

**Twilight Cherry**


	3. For You

**Phew! I finally finished my mid-terms. Back to the story!! Sorry it took so long!! This chappie is for saiunkokulover who shares so much things in common with me! It made me really happy!!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 3**

**For You**

"Ano, Kaho-senpai. I think it's better if you play bar 57 in pizzicato style. It will bring out the melody more…" the blonde kouhai told the red haired girl. She nodded and tried it out. It did sound better than before.

"Tsuchiura, can you play bar 88 slower? I can't get the hang of it… Let me practice a little before resuming the tempo." The trumpet player said to the pianist after a few times slipping at that particular spot. His junior complied to Hihara immediately when the older boy looked at him with puppy eyes. After a few tries slower, he began to get the hang of it and could play it with his eyes close. His tensed up body relaxed a little when he blew a sigh of relief.

"I guess everyone is getting tensed up. We should take a break. I'm sure we will play better when we are in a more relax situation." The flutist suggested. Everyone gladly put their instruments down and walked around the hall to stretch their stiff body. A few minutes later, a knock was heard on the huge oak doors that lead into this banquet hall. The door was pushed open a second later by a waiter.

"Kouno-sama had ordered refreshment for the misses and masters." The waiter said politely to the group. In his hands was a tray of fruit punch which looked positively thirst quenching. All of them went and took a glass.

"Please thank the manager for us." The shy clarinetist muttered to the waiter. He nodded and bowed to Fuyuumi who bowed back in return. Hino noticed that her kouhai was always so polite to everyone. Is it because they are brought up in this way? Thought Hino grew up in a nice and polite family, she can't help voicing out her opinions when she thinks it is not right and she blushed when she remembered times when she was a little rude.

"Kouno-sama will be here at 5 to watch a full rehearsal, Fuyuumi-jousama," the waiter informed the green haired girl before retreating with a tray full of empty glasses. The girl bowed in return again.

"Now that we are all refreshed, we better get back to business." A particular blue haired boy said before lifting his violin to his chin, adjusting it to a comfortable position. Hino silently sighed at the always-serious-in-music boy. Can't he relax a little more and have some fun since this was also a holiday for them? But she kept those thoughts deep in her mind and took up her violin without complaining.

"Superb! Fantastic! I'm glad Fuyuumi-san asked you all to come!" The manager praised them when they performed the full rehearsal for him. A few of the organizers who were with him agreed with the manager too.

"Arigatou, Kouno-sama…" Fuyuumi said meekly, face turning a little red. She bowed politely at the manager. The group too followed the green haired girl's example and bowed respectfully to the man in black coat.

"I wish you all the best and may you perform the best performance tonight!" He said before leaving them to practice a little more. They thank him before promising to do their very best for the night. When they were all satisfied with their playing, they went back to their respective rooms to rest and change.

……**.**

The sound proof room behind the stage was filled with noises of instrument being tuned. Tsuchiura helped the other players tune their instruments by using the upright piano in the room. The grand piano he was supposed to play is already properly tuned, waiting on the stage for him to play it.

"Mou!! I'm so nervous! What if I played wrongly?" Hino started to panic but was calm down by her friends' reassuring words. Hino tried to emulate Tsukimori and Yunoki who were looking confident. Hihara was jumping around the room in excitement and somehow, his positive feelings reached all of them and made them feel excited for the show too.

They all peeped out of the door a little to see a huge crowd of people dancing to another group of professional musicians. Laughter and chatters filled the large ballroom. The mood outside was pleasant and lively. Everyone was dressed beautifully in gowns and dresses of all colors, like a garden of thousand flowers. The music then stopped and dancing partners bowed to each other politely.

"It's your turn. Please get ready." Kouno told the group of teens before going up the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hoped you've enjoyed this ball so far. Next, I had arranged a special performance from a special group of people. May you enjoy the performance!" The manager announced, trailed by a round of clap as encouragement from the audience when they came onto the stage.

Tsuchiura placed himself at the grand piano located in the middle of the stage. The others stood in a single vertical line on the steps to the stage, three on each side. On the floor to Tsuchiura's left was Hino, followed by Tsukimori, a step higher and then Shimizu sitting on a chair which was on the stage. Similarly, on his right were Fuyuumi, Yunoki and Hihara. Tapping his feet gently to signal the starting, the group started playing.

People stood in silence as they enjoyed the music at first. Then slowly, a little by a little, they came up to the dance floor and danced to the music happily. The music was lively and joyful, encouraging more people so come out and dance. Even those just listening to the song felt lighter and happier. Because the music, the song these group is performing is played from the bottom of their heart.

"Well done! Subarashii!!" The audience applauded loudly when the music ended and the group got up to bow. The manager thanked them and they headed back into the preparation room to pack their instruments. It was then Hino noticed that Tsukimori and Tsuchiura were not with them. She turned around to see the two talking to the manager. After a few nods, Kouno went to the stage again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, did you like the performance?" His question was replied with a loud cheer and whistles. He smiled wider before continuing. "These gentlemen here offer to play another song. I hope you enjoy it too!"

As those two prepared themselves on the stage, they were accompanied by claps and applause until they nodded to each other, signaling the start of their performance. The hall went pin-drop silent to listen to their performance. They were playing Beethoven's Violin and Piano Sonata No. 5 in F Major, 'Spring'.

For some unknown reasons, Hino felt the strong electric current behind the pleasant music from those two. It was like they were competing to defeat the other but it did not tarnish the song at all. Instead, it made it more powerful and beautiful, etching a memory into her mind. They both were aiming to be better in music, to improve, to excel. Hino could feel their passion in music lifting hers to a higher level. Her eyes, closed to enjoy their playing, snapped open when the spectators gave them another round of thunderous applause.

"Sugoi! Sugoi! You guys played so well!" Hihara ran up to them when they entered the room. All of them gathered around the blue haired violinist and the green haired pianist, praising them.

"Why the sudden extra performance though, Tsukimori-kun?" Yunoki asked the two kouhais. Tsukimori took a glance at the pianist and the latter returned his gaze with similar looks. Hino could sense the brief moment when the electricity flowing between their eyes rise intensely before dropping tremendously to a level where she can confidently say they will be friends after this.

"Just to even up some things." Tsukimori replied after a while. Tsuchiura nodded stiffly. Hino could see that things were still not going on so well between these two friends of hers.

"But it was fabulous nonetheless, Tsukimori-kun! Tsuchiura-kun!" She said to the both of them hoping that it will lessen the awkward moment. She sighed a little when Fuyuumi piped in her praise meekly and it followed by the others.

"It's alright, Hino. We know there is no end if we go on fighting who is better." Tsuchiura patted her back. She nodded shyly when the pianist saw through her worries. After packing all their instruments, they went out to enjoy the ball. Bell boys were ordered to bring their instruments back to their rooms so they need not bring their cases everywhere.

"Neh, that boy with blue hair. The gold violin player. He's Hamai Misa's son, right? He's good!"

"The pianist was also fantastic!"

Hino passed a group of girls commenting on the boys. She smiled gently, feeling proud that she knows them and is their friend. Both of them are so talented and Hino was glad that she had them to advise her all the time. Without them, she might not continue playing her violin after that unpleasant incident.

"That boy with the golden flute… He's the Yunoki Corporation youngest son, right?" Some old man, probably some wealthy business men were saying.

"Hey, that boy with purple hair is gorgeous! Think he'll dance with me for the next song?" Hino heard when she picked up a glass of cocktail from the waitress. She stopped briefly as she was sipping the drink when the comments from the girls reached her ears. For some reasons, she felt a sharp pain in her chest when she pictured Yunoki dancing with another elegant girl. Unconsciously, she looked around for the man who always teases her.

"Ano… Can I dance with you?" She heard from somewhere nearby. She turned to see a purple head towering among a group of ladies. Momentarily, her heart felt like cracking. Deep down, in a small quiet voice, she was praying that he would not dance with that girl, whoever she is. She could not hear his reply but from the sound the girls were making, she assumed that he rejected her. Her heart returned to normal instantaneously.

"Can you play the flute again for us?" Someone else piped in. She held her breathe as she felt another slash at her heart. She winced. Why was she feeling like this? Before she could hear another word, she placed her almost empty glass on the tray of a nearby waiter and ran towards the doors to the garden, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

……**.**

"Can you play the flute again for us?" A girl in flowing blue dinner gown asked Yunoki. He gave the crowd a princely smile like he was at school with his fan girls but inwardly he was irritated. His irritation evaporated immediately when he caught sight of a red head. She was heading towards the garden.

"I'm sorry but the flute and these fingers only play for one person in this world. Excuse me." He said as politely as he could before leaving the group to follow the girl.

……**.**

She stood before a fountain, panting slightly. The running water made her calm and she recalled what had happened. Why was she so troubled when someone talks or ask Yunoki to dance? It has nothing to do with her whether he wants to dance with them or not, right? Yes. That's right. She felt better a little when she lifted her head to enjoy the gentle breeze blowing.

"Did I mention that you look very much better than usual? I guess your sense of taste had improved a little." She squealed when a voice whispered in her ears. She lost her balance and stumbled on the high heels when a cool hand caught her and break her fall.

"Careless as always though…" Her saver chuckled. That sound he made was slightly devilish but it showed hints of amusement too. Of course he was amused. He was with his favourite toy. Hino's face turned beet red. All the pain vanished entirely as his voice occupied every single space of her little mind.

'_Wait… Did he just compliment me?'_ She thought when she finally registered what he said earlier. She quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for the compliment and thank you for saving me, Yunoki-senpai."

"What are you doing out here, Kahoko? Didn't you enjoy the party?" He asked her. She shook her head, saying that she just came out for some fresh air. Yunoki gave her that dark smile that sends shivers down her. She lowered her head to see a pale hand grabbed hers, dragging her back into the hall. Just in time, a new song struck up. He pulled her the middle of the dance floor.

"Ano, Yunoki-senpai? What are you doing?" She asked, feeling a lot of eyes on her back, nearly burning holes through the thin wine red material of her dinner dress. She choked in a little gasped when she felt his hand on her back, as if shielding her from those stares.

"Dancing." He answered simply. As they twirled around the room, led by Yunoki, she could see the disappointment in the group of girls that he was talking to just now. She peeped up at Yunoki who was dancing confidently with a huge smug grin on his face. She did not know that she was staring at him until his gold eyes met hers.

"It's rude to stare when you're waltzing." He bent down to her ears and whispered in her ears. She immediately turned away from him, blushing heavily, silently cursing herself for being aloof. She tried to stiffen herself from trembling with nervousness when she felt him shifting himself closer to her. Their bodies were merely centimeters apart from each other. His thin mouth was at her ears.

"You're very beautiful tonight, Kahoko…"

……**.**

She lay in bed, gazing at the ceiling, dazed like someone had just drugged her. Beside her, Fuyuumi was sleeping soundly. She brought her hand to her cheek, touching that skin that had made contact with Yunoki's lips earlier. He kissed her right in front of everyone after the dance. She kept telling herself that it was just a polite gesture as she saw a few pairs doing the same with their partners too. But somehow, that spot on her face was tingling in a pleasant way.

Unable to sleep, she got up and put on her coat. Like the night before, she wandered unconsciously to the beach. The sound of a faraway flute led her like Hamelin's pipe. She stopped when she saw purple hair fluttering in the wind.

"I see I managed to trance you here again, Kahoko," Yunoki stated. She snapped out from her partly woozy mind, realizing that he was talking to her. That man who was the main cause of her insomnia.

"Can you play that song you played yesterday?" Words tumbled out of her mouth. Her hands jumped to her mouth again. What was she thinking?! Why is she asking him to play again?

He smiled gently, taking her hands away from her mouth. She turned away from his gaze but he tilted her head back to face him. His eyes were stern yet gently telling her to look at him. He brought his head near to hers again, breathing slowly into her ears before whispering like he always did to her.

"Of course, Kahoko. This flute and these fingers will only play… For you…" Those last two words were so quiet that it was nearly covered by the sound of the waves but it rang clearly like a bell in her head.

……**.**

**There! Chapter 3! I've got a feeling that you guys are going to hate me in the next chapter but I'll write it anyway. Hopefully, I'll be able to upload it next week but that depends on YOU!! You know what I mean… Now, do your part and review!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	4. Unpleasant Discovery

**As I promised! The very next week! Hahaha… I have to rush my Fruits Basket fanfic or else readers would think I had abandoned it. Though I really had sort of abandoned the Fruits Basket and Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic… XP I'm so bad. I haven't abandoned them! Just that I don't know how to continue, that's it. Hahaha…**

**Ok, quit blabbering and let's continue the story. Oh, and thank you to my reviewers. This chapter is for Priscilla-chan! Hehehe…**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 4**

**Unpleasant Discovery**

Everyone slept in quite late that day because they were so exhausted practicing the previous day. That morning, Hino woke up at 9. She was shocked but it was only logical if she was tired because of those sleepless nights caused by a particular person. She had quite a hard time falling asleep the night before too but after rolling and tossing in the bed, she was exhausted enough to fall into deep slumber.

"Ohayou, Kaho-senpai…" Fuyuumi greeted her when she saw her eyes opened. She sat up to see that Fuyuumi was in her blouse and skirt, hair dripping with water that hasn't been dried off properly.

"Ohayou, Fuyuumi-chan. You just woke up too?" Hino asked a little groggily. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head to wake her still half-asleep mind. The kouhai face was tinted red a little and nodded. Apparently, it was not so proper for a girl brought up to be lady-like to sleep in so late and she was slightly embarrassed about it.

"The bathroom is free so you can use it now." She muttered shyly. Hino jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and took a quick shower. The water freshen her up like a person watering a flower. It felt good and it certainly cleared her blurred mind. When she came out, she found Fuyuumi at the table, pinning her hair neatly with cute clips.

"Where should we go today? Should we do some shopping? Mio and Nao would be furious if I did not get them souvenirs." Hino suggested as she dried her hair and brushed them thoroughly.

"Ok… But first, can we get some breakfast first?" Fuyuumi asked timidly. At the same time, Hino's stomach emitted a loud growl. Hino clutched her abdomen and blushed. She smiled at the younger girl and nodded.

**.......**

"I wonder what the boys are doing…" Hino said when she locked the door and walked down the hallway with Fuyuumi. Immediately, two doors opened at the exact same moment. A blue haired boy walked out from one door and another door emerged a boy with forest green hair. Hino thought electricity was going to flow between these two again as they always do but strangely, she felt none. She could even see a little grim smile on each of their face. She smiled gladly. The assumptions she made yesterday proved to be true.

"Ohayou, Tsukimori-kun! Ohayou, Tsuchiura-kun!" She greeted them enthusiastically. Fuyuumi followed her senpai's example but she was not as loud as her senpai. Hers was soft and polite

"Oh! Hino! Fuyuumi-chan! Ohayou!" Tsuchiura replied in his deep voice. He gave Hino a friendlier and warmer grin than that smile he gave to his former rival.

"Ohayou, Hino-san, Fuyuumi-san. Heading out for breakfast?" Tsukimori asked coolly. Hino nodded in return to his question. When she saw the both of them close the door behind them, she asked about their roommates.

"Hihara-senpai is still snoring away. I guess he's really exhausted." Tsuchiura chuckled when he told the red haired girl. She laughed when she thought about her carefree senpai. "I guessed he burnt too much of his energy yesterday. Where's Shimizu-kun?"

"He too is still asleep." His roommate told them. That's not really a wonder because this blonde boy is capable of sleeping almost anywhere whenever he feels like it.

Someone was missing from their group but Hino did not ask. She did not want to mention anything about him because she knew if they started talking about him, she'll remember those times they were together and would blush madly. Then, she'll have to explain to the others. But what was she going to tell them? That their always smiling and kind senpai has a bad side? Who would believe her?

"I wonder where Yunoki-senpai is…" Fuyuumi suddenly stated which caused Hino to freeze at that spot.

"Hino-san? What's the matter?" Tsukimori asked, tapping her shoulder. She shook her head and gave him smile, "N-Nothing! Let's go! I'm hungry!"

"Fuyuumi-jouchan, if you are looking for your friend, Yunoki-sama, he left you and your friends a message." The receptionist told them when the group passed the main desk. The lady gave the green haired girl a piece of folded paper. The others gathered around the girl to look at the paper.

_I have a little business to take care of. I will be back around 2. Have fun._

_Yunoki_

"Oh well… Shall we head for breakfast?" Hino said a little stiffly when everyone had read the note. All of them nodded in agreement and headed for breakfast before the food is clear.

……**.**

Breakfast was quite an uneventful one. After filling themselves, Hino and Fuyuumi parted with the two boys to do some shopping around. While the two girls walked and chatted along the way, Hino's mood went back to normal. They bought souvenirs for their families and friends. However, when they were in a CD shop, Hino thought she saw a flutter of purple hair among the many people outside. When she blinked, it was gone.

'_Must be hallucinating… Stop thinking of him!"_ Hino thought frustrated. She wrenched her head back to the CD she was looking at. Whether it is coincidence or her own instinct, she found herself holding a CD that reads "Drigo – Notturno D'amore 'Serenade' "

……**.**

"Let's go for a swim later! The hotel's pool is really big and it's facing the ocean!" Their always energetic senior finally woke up and jumping around. They just finished their lunch and was chatting in the lobby. Hino giggled at the sporty boy. He seemed to have totally recharged after that long sleep. She unconsciously looked at her wrist watch. The long hand pointed to 9 and the short one was nearly reaching 2.

'_I wonder if he is back already… I'm quite worried… Eh! What am I thinking?!'_ Hino scolded herself again. Fidgeting in her seat, she bit her lip until she drew blood. A sense of uneasiness washed over her, tempting to make her throw up her lunch.

"I'm not feeling well. I think I'll go back to the room to rest for awhile. Call me when you want to go for a swim." Hino suddenly stood and said. When she ended her sentence, she ran off to her room. Her friends look at her back, confused. Fuyuumi got up and bow.

"I'll go and check on senpai…" She told the boys. When she went off, the boys resumed chatting but all of them did not notice that Fuyuumi took a long glance back at a particular blonde boy before she enter the hallway.

"Daijoubu deska, senpai?" Fuyuumi asked, concerned. Hino, head under the sheets, mumbled a weak 'yes'. Fuyuumi sighed quietly when she sensed that her senpai was not going to answer more.

'_I guess she's really not feeling well…'_ She thought before leaving the red haired girl alone to rest.

When she heard the room door clicked signaling Fuyuumi's exit from the room, unconsciously, tears of frustration flowed down Hino's cheek. She was angry at herself for getting worked up just by thinking about him. Who does he think he is to mess up her feelings?

……**.**

"Kaho-chan? Are you alright? Do you still want to join us for a swim?" Hihara asked. Hino could hear the tinge of worry and sadness in his tone. She got up from the bed to see the whole group standing at the end of her bed. Fuyuumi was at her side.

"Yes… I'm feeling better already!" She told them truthfully. She did feel better after the short nap. Hihara immediately jumped up with happiness and Hino smiled at his childish demeanor. The boys went out to let the girls change.

"We'll meet you by the pool side!" Tsuchiura said before closing the door behind him.

"Hontoni daijoubu, senpai?" Fuyuumi asked the red haired girl again. She nodded, smiling at the younger girl. She assured the girl that she was really fine with a huge smile. Fuyuumi returned her smile with a smile, glad that her senpai was alright.

"Let's play ball in the water!" The sporty senpai suggested to his friends when they all gathered around the pool side. Everyone agreed though persuasion was needed to get the blue haired boy to agree.

"Shimizu-kun? Be careful!" Hino caught the sleepy kouhai of hers before he fall into the pool because he was swaying side to side drowsily. When he got into the water, a sudden splash of water hit his sleepy face, waking him up totally. Hino, who was behind him, got splashed too. Her hair was dripping wet before she could even dip her head into the water. When she wiped the water off her face with her hand, she saw the two green haired boys grinning mischievously.

"It's payback! Come on, Shimizu-kun!" Hino yelled at the laughing boys. She and the blonde haired boy splashed water back to the two boys but they did not manage to create a wave as strong as theirs. They managed to wet their heads though. Everyone was glad Hino was back to her happy self. Then, they positioned themselves in an oval to play ball.

"Here comes!" Tsuchiura shouted as his big, strong palm hit the ball with an incredible force. The ball zoomed through the air and headed for Tsukimori. The pianist was hoping the ball would hit him at the face but the violinist was quick enough to hit the ball to Fuyuumi. The clarinetist panicked when the ball was coming to her. She stretched her arms out to block the ball from hitting her face. She squeaked when the ball came in contact with her hands and bounced off.

"Shimizu-kun! Get the ball into the air again!" Hihara joyfully said to the blonde boy. Shimizu swam a little to the ball and hit it towards Hino. The red haired violinist did not expect the cellist to possess such a strong hit. It must be from carrying and holding the heavy instrument he play for long hours.

"Hino!" She looked up when Tsukimori called her name. She saw the ball flying towards her but her eyes caught sight of something else. The purple hair she longed to touch was dancing in the wind. He was staring at her with a smile from a bench a few steps away from her spot in the pool. The ball that came towards her was reflexively hit away by her hand but her eyes never left the man, fearing he would disappear like this morning when they were shopping. The others were concentrating hard on the ball that they did not notice him.

"Yu- Ahh!!" She reached down the water to grip her leg in pain. Her leg cramped! She struggled to keep her head above the surface but her leg was numb. Hino flailed her arms as she choke, water entering her respiratory system. The others did not notice her.

'_Yunoki-senpai!! Help me!' _Her mind screamed out. She sunk under the water.

……**.**

"Hino!" She distantly heard that voice that always whisper in her ears. Her eyes opened to see a splash of bubbles and then strong arms gripped her middle, pulling her towards the light. When her head broke through the surface of water, she gasped gratefully for air. She lay limped in the arms of Yunoki as he lifted her out of the pool and laid her on a bench. The others got out of the pool immediately when they heard the splash and saw Yunoki carrying Hino.

"Kaho-chan! Daijoubu?!" Hihara once again called her name frantically in that worried tone. After she got enough oxygen back into her lungs, she nodded a little. She looked around as her friends gathered around her, all with the worried expression plastered to their face. She felt really lucky to have such good friends.

"Cramps, isn't it?" Hino was startled a little when she heard the purple haired flutist who had just saved her asked. He flexed her awkwardly positioned leg. She kept quiet when he continued flexing and massaging her leg.

"It's better already…" She said; face burning red, as she moved the leg to try it on the ground. She couldn't believe the Seiso Gakuen prince was holding her leg and relieving her pain! What will happen to her if his crazy body guards were to see him in his position? She'll certainly be dead by now!

"Sorry… I made you guys worried again… I'm fine now! I think I'll head back to the room. It's nearly dinner time too. You guys better go take a bath too!" She told her friends as cheerfully as she could. She stood, wobbling a little before steadying herself by holding Tsuchiura outstretched hand. She thanked her life saver and was lead back to her room by Fuyuumi and Tsuchiura. But she couldn't help thinking. Did she really see an angry glint in Yunoki's eyes or was her head still filled with water? And earlier, when he asked Hino about her reason of nearly drowning, did she hear a slight tone of worry or was she just imagining it?

……**.**

Dinner was an uneventful one too except for the persisting questions whether she was alright or not. But Hino replied her friends that she was totally fine. She could tell that they were paying extra attention on her, even the always cool Tsukimori-kun and the sleepyhead Shimizu-kun. But she smiled throughout dinner and answered all their questions jovially.

"I think you better go back and rest for a little while longer…" Tsukimori said to her when they had finished dinner. Hino looked at her watch and protested, "But it's so early! It's hardly eight!"

"It's ok. I'll bring her back to her room later. I have some things to talk to Hino-san." Yunoki said rather sternly to Hino as he steered a shocked Hino to the hallway. The group of students stared at the pair in confusion.

"I think Yunoki is going to give her a piece of his mind on how to take care of herself more…" Hihara guessed, his friends turn to look at him.

"I guess so…" Tsuchiura muttered.

……**.**

"Ano… Yunoki-senpai?" Hino called the purple haired senior who had already dropped his fake smiling mask to a serious, angry one. He opened the door to his room and roughly pushed Hino into the room. He shut the door and glared at her. Hino felt herself trembling in fear, dropping onto the bed as her knees gave way. What was he going to do to her?

"Don't look at me like that. You are here for your punishment and payment for saving your life." He told her, his face relaxing into the mean, mischievous look. Hino stared back at him, eyes wide like a mouse before it is eaten by the cat. His smile just stretched longer like a Cheshire cat when he saw her like this. He really did like teasing her. It never fails to amuse him. He went to the bathroom and changed into his purple bathrobe.

"Don't worry. It's not that I'm going to eat you… Though you do look delicious…" He whispered the last line in her ears. She shivered even more before stiffening completely, her face reddening to look like a tomato but her heart was beating fast not in fear but it's another feeling. Currently, her mind could not specify the feeling because her head was almost blank except for the little part that told her that he was really close to her.

"Here." Hino looked down at the hard thing he pressed into her hand. It was a hair brush. He then pushed her, not as roughly as he did earlier, to the centre of the king size bed. Arranging her legs together, he put a pillow on her lap and sunk his face into the feather white pillow, tilting just a little sideways so that he could breathe. His body was stretched out on the bed. Hino was dumbfounded. Was he asking her to brush his hair? Those silky purple hair that she had longed to touch since who knows when? When did this urge swelled up in her actually?

"Go on…" He encouraged her. She touched the purple fine lines hesitantly before lifting the brush to his head delicately. Then, with gentle strokes, she smoothed the already very smooth hair. She could feel him sighed in comfort. Like when someone scratched an unreachable spot at the back of a cat. She continued brushing his hair, marveling the way they shine under the dim lamp light. It seemed to glow and sparkle lightly with each sweep of the brush.

"Yunoki-senpai?" Hino said quietly when she felt the boy's breathing go deep and even. She bended her body forward only to see a content smile of his peaceful face. His eyes were closed. He was asleep. Hino guessed he must exhausted with whatever business he had this morning. Slowly, she inched her leg trapped beneath the pillow out and laid him on the bed. She decided not to turn him incase he awakens. He looked comfortable enough, sleeping on his stomach. She put the brush on the table silently and crept to the other side of the bed to off the table lamp. Her eyes never leave the body, rising up and down rhythmically as he breathes.

However, before she could turn off the light, something caught her eyes. His long hair had shifted to his side when she laid him down, exposing his white neck. Just slightly above the collar of his bathrobe was something red. Hino saw it because it contrasted greatly with his pale skin. Curious, Hino pulled off the loose bathrobe lightly. Her hands leapt to her mouth to cover a gasp upon her discovery.

The marks on his back were healing whip marks…

……**.**

**I can't believe I wrote it! I can't believe I wrote such a thing about Azuma-sama! I can't believe I hurt him! I'm such a bad girl! *knocks head on the wall***

**Well, I did keep my promise to upload the next week and this is the next week. The next upload might be half a year later because I plan to go on hiatus for some time. IF I have the time, I'll try to write but I won't guarantee anything because I have a real huge exam this year end. You can kill me if you want… T_T**

**Please read and review!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	5. ‘Azuma’

**I just want to post this before my hiatus. Just a short one. I seriously need to focus on my studies already. I nearly failed one of my papers for mid-terms so until my exam is over, which is around November, I will be on hiatus. **

**This chapter is dedicated to who you ask? Of course our main male character! It's his birthday! Happy birthday, Azuma-sama! (18****th**** June 2009)**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 5**

'**Azuma'**

Hino's hands were trembling, in fact, her entire being was vibrating. She reached out her hand to hover above those marks without touching them, fearing that her touch would hurt him. Who would do such thing to him?! The robe that was only quarter way down his back had already shown her such a gruesome sight. Will there be more of these scars? She looked carefully at the lines on his back, tracing an inch above them in the air. Some were pale and pinkish, indicating that they were old ones, made some time back. But the back was covered with five new, bluish black whip marks. One of it which cut quite deep from his right shoulder to his backbone was clotted with blood and dead skin.

'_Why would someone do such a thing?'_ Hino thought in her mind painfully. Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. She could feel his pain as if she was the one whipped instead of him. Unconsciously, a clear drop of tear fell from her eye onto his back, seeping into the wound. She gasped as he twitched a little. Hino immediately sprang away from the bed when he pulled himself slowly to sit up.

"Why are you so afraid-" The purple haired man stopped mid sentence when he felt the cold air blowing onto his back. He quickly pulled the bath robe back and tied it tightly before turning to Hino who was wiping her eyes which were pooled with tears. The tears did not seem to lessen each time she dry them. Instead, they came more and more until she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shhh… Don't cry. It's nothing…" Yunoki said, getting up from the bed and hugged her gently. His hand patted her red hair softly, coaxing her. She wanted to hug him back but feared that she would hurt him. Her sobs reduced into sniffs and chokes when she tried to speak but he continued hushing her until she totally stopped crying. Then he guided her to sit on the edge of the bed. She did not pull out of their embrace nor did she felt scared. On the other hand, she felt safe and comfortable in his arms.

"W-Who did that… to you?" She whispered silently, still sniffing a little. Hino looked up at him when he did not answer. His eyes were somber and blank, staring into a distance. When the tears threatened to spill once again because she remembered those terrible wounds, he gathered her deeper into his chest.

"It's alright… It doesn't hurt at all…" Hino knows clearly deep in her heart that _that_ was a lie. But somehow, his soothing voice really did convince her that it does not hurt. Yunoki had always had that effect on her. Though he had lied to many people, the one he could never lie to was her. That, though unknown to Hino, made her believe him completely. She had always blamed it on his voice which was as tempting and luring as his flute. But this time, she just accepted the fact that she _wanted_ to believe him because he was special.

"He… Hehe…" Hino suddenly giggled but she felt the bitterness in her heart when she laughed. Tears which tempted to fall again were quickly brushed of before it could fall. Yunoki looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"What?" He asked. She smiled meekly.

"It's just so not you, Yunoki-senpai… To comfort me. Usually you would say some mean things. I really don't know who you really are…" She explained. She was so confused with the many personalities of Yunoki. Yet, she wanted to know all of them, good or bad. Everything about him, his characteristics, his habits, his likes and dislikes…

'_Eh?!! I'm thinking weird again! I don't want to know about him at all!'_ She retorted with the voice inside her mind. But her mind traitorously reminded her how happy and comfortable she felt when Yunoki hugged her. Her face turned crimson red. Yunoki, who had no idea what she was thinking about, observed her, greatly amused.

"Oh, there's a price for that. And don't think that you had done something unforgivable?" He smirked evilly. That smile reduced Hino's thoughts into emptiness.

"I-I'm sorry… I'll keep it a secret…" Hino stuttered after the mist in her brain cleared a little. She continued staring down at the floor, regretting that she let her curiosity take over her just now. Now she had just landed herself into more trouble.

"I don't know what you find so interesting on the floor when a good-looking boy is sitting right in front of you…" He said in his annoyed tone, lifting her chin to look directly at him. She tried to evade eye contact with him but his mesmerizing gold eyes captured hers instantaneously. She could feel the air he exhaled on her face, making her head go into the clouds.

"Now… Your punishment… Say my name…" He whispered. His voice was like hypnotism to Hino. Her lips parted slightly but no words came out. Her heart was thudding loudly in her ears.

"Y-Yu-" She was stopped by his fingers on her lips. His eyes narrowed, very clearly telling her that that was not what he wanted to hear.

"_My_ name, Kahoko." He blew her name into her ears softly. Hino felt the shiver of fear and excitement ran down her back. Her face turned into a deeper red as blood rushed to her face. She felt so embarrassed to address someone by his given name as it symbolizes intimacy. But this was not someone. This was someone special to her. No matter how many times she tried to deny it, she could not properly reason out why he was special.

"A-Azuma-sa-" His stare grew more intense. The frown that was previously not there appeared. She took a deep breathe which successfully cleared her mind properly and calmed her down.

"Azuma…" Though she only said it gently in a voice barely audible, his sharp ears picked them up clearly. Hino was surprised that the words fell out so naturally and her face did not feel hotter than it was. Instead, she felt satisfactory and happiness spreading to every cell of her body. His serious face finally relaxed back into a smile which made Hino smiled gently. It was nice to see his smile back again.

"Good. From now onwards, you shall call me by that name." Hino's eyes grew wide with horror. She liked the feeling when she said his name. It made her really happy and thrilled but in front of everyone?! What would the others think? She shook her head violently but when she saw that face she fear so much, she froze.

"Just when we are together alone…" She said reluctantly, biting her lips a little because she knew that no matter what she said, he will somehow make it worse. She had landed herself into enough trouble for tonight.

"Say my name again, Kahoko." She inhaled and called his name gently, as if she had been calling him this way for a long time. Hino enjoyed the sweet and satisfying feeling that filled her heart. He was pleased because he was smiling; a pure smile from his heart that erased all the previous pain, and that made Hino flew into cloud nine.

"I like that… That smile." She said sincerely. Her hand reached hesitantly at his face. She wanted to caress that smooth face adorned with the best smile she had ever seen but she was afraid he might not like it. Even his usual princely smile was not as beautiful as this because this smile was true, not a mask. It was so attractive. She jumped a little in surprise when he pressed his cheek into her hand like a puppy wanting to be petted. Gladly, she traced the smooth pale surface of his face.

"Your face is pale… Are you ok?" She asked, concerned. He took hold of her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. Kissing her dainty finger tips lightly, she took the opportunity to touch those thin luscious lips.

"Ah! Azuma! What are you doing?!" She yelled at him when he suddenly pushed her down on to the bed. All the oxygen in her lungs was nearly knocked out by the impact. She was sill gasping lightly when he hovered above her, pinning her down.

"For being such a good girl, I'll give you a reward." His smile turned into a grin, mischievous and gentle at the same time. Hino's heart picked up in its speed when his face inched near hers. Then her heart stopped for a moment, leaving her mind totally blank. All her senses became numb and she could not feel anything else except for the sensation of his lips on hers.

……**.**

She did not know how or when she came back to her room but her mind was totally blank as she stared at the ceiling. She vaguely remembered Fuyuumi calling her name but she did not remember whether she answered the girl or not. She did not remember whether she panicked or just left her there. She did not remember anything at all except for that still lingering tingling sensation on her lips.

……**.**

She was in a daze since she returned from the vacation. It seems like this holiday was not to relax her mind but stress it further. It made her ask one very serious question to herself. Who was he to her? She did not hate it when he sort of sexual harassed her. Instead, there was a total foreign feeling that Hino had never experienced before.

When she was not thinking about that, her mind was in total emptiness, forgetting everything as if she suffered from amnesia. She was like a walking zombie, aimlessly wandering around. The only time she was aware was the time when she practices her

"Yuki (snow)…" Hino muttered absently to herself when flakes of the white substance floated down from the sky. She extended her hand to catch the snowflakes. Feeling the smooth, slippery sensation when the snow melted by the heat of her body, she remembered the feeling when she touched a particular smooth and warm thing. What was it?

'_Oh… It was a face… Someone's face… His face…'_ She thought, her mind floating into a distance. Her heart thudded painfully when she remembered everything about him. His touch, his voice, his hair, his face, his smell, and the main and strongest memory, his kiss. Even just thinking about it made her heart skipped and face go red. She pressed her cold fingers onto her hot face to cool them down.

"Why am I getting all jittery over him?" Hino mumbled. After so much of thinking, she finally got a reasonable answer but she just couldn't say it out. She felt it was so impossible but it's the only possible answer too.

She loved him. She had fallen in love with the Seiso Gakuen Prince. The one who always bully her and tease her behind everyone's back. The one who only showed her his true personality. The one who carries the famous Yunoki family name but to Hino, he was just Azuma. She had fallen in love with Azuma.

It felt so unreal that she would fall for a guy like him. She was still in her thoughts, standing like a fool on the street, snow falling quietly down around her. Only when her hand phone rang did she snapped out from her little world.

"Hello?" She spoke warily. She wished that she was not disturbed by anyone at the moment but people would sense that she was acting strange. Her mother had already asked whether she was alright this morning. Mostly, she had prayed with all her heart that he would not disturb her until she had properly sorted out her feelings.

'_Hello. Is this Kahoko-san?'_ It was a girl's voice. One that triggered her memory. She heard this voice some time ago. She said yes and asked for the identity of the girl.

'_I'm Miyabi. You do remember right? Yunoki Miyabi, Azuma's sister?'_ Miyabi was saying all these quite fast as if she was in a hurry but Hino's trained ears caught the words perfectly. That name certainly rings a bell in Hino's mind. She cautiously muttered a yes before asking politely the reason for the phone call.

'_I know this might sound weird but do you know where onii-sama?' _Hino shook her head before answering 'no' to the phone.

"Why? What is the matter?" Hino asked the girl. Even just by listening to her voice, she could tell that she was trembling with worry.

'_Onii-sama disappeared. We can't find him anywhere! I have to tell you something else too. He was severely injured and has not eaten for a whole day. I've contact Hihara-san to help us find him…'_ Hino froze on that spot, fitting in perfectly to the cold snowing environment. Injured? Does that mean more of those terrible whip marks? Her heart beat picked up. Bitterness and pain filled her slowly.

"Why did you call me?" Hino asked stiffly. Miyabi was silent for awhile before she answered.

'_Because I could see that you were special to onii-sama. I thought you might know where he is… Please find him and if you do find him, can you not send him to the hospital or back home for awhile? I need to go! Thank you!' _She cut the line before Hino could even say 'bye'. When she returned her phone to her bag, her mind switched on into turbo speed. She frantically scanned through all the places they've been together. Without wasting a minute, she broke into a sprint, racing towards the place her instinct told her where he was. Her mind was only thinking of a single thing.

'_Azuma!'_

……**.**

**Well, I did say it's a short chapter. I'll say my farewell here until this year end! Good luck to every other writers and readers too! I will write in bold later in my profile that I'm going into hiatus so don't you tell me to update soon! My 'soon' will be in December or maybe January!**

**Once again, I would like to wish a very happy birthday to Azuma-sama! I hope you get Kaho soon. I know you will! Hahaha…**

**Read and review, people!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	6. Together

**I wrote this whenever I had the free time so that I can upload it first thing after my examinations. And now, the EXAMINATION is OVER! I'm sure you guys are really anticipating for the story. Or perhaps you had forgotten it because I went to hiatus? Anyway, let's cut the small talk and get to the story.**

**This chapter is to celebrate the ending of my exam! Whoopee!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 6**

**Together**

Vapors were forming through her mouth and nose as she panted. She could feel her muscles screaming in protest but she did not slow her track. The reason that was pushing her? A particular purple haired boy who was special to her, out in the cold and said to be seriously injured. Her mind was frantically repeating a name.

'_Azuma!'_ Hot tears were swelling up her eyes, blurring her vision. With a quick motion of her hand, she wiped the droplets with the back of her sleeve without slowing her pace even a little.

She reached her destination, the hidden spot of the park facing the lake. That place was the place where she was once threatened by his bodyguards and where he came to protect her. That was during the time where she properly learnt how to play the violin and was searching for a more secluded place so that she would not disturb the others with her amateur playing. Somehow, his bodyguards had followed her to this spot and made some unkind remarks to her but she was saved just in time by Azuma. It's the only place she could think of.

"Azuma?! Where are you?!" She shouted loudly when she found no one at the snow covered bank. She turned around in circles and circles on the spot, hoping that he would walk out of the bushes like he did at that time. She finally collapsed to her knees in dizziness and exhaustion. Kahoko brought her hands to her face to wipe off the silver trail that was flowing like a little river and refocus her spinning head.

"Azuma!" She yelled desperately once again. Where could he be if he's not here? But then, when she got up, she saw a glint of something black amongst the white thick sheet of snow. She stepped carefully towards it. Kneeling beside the black thing that was protruding out of the snow, she saw that it was the corner of a box-like thing. She scrapped off the thick layer of snow to reveal a rectangular box, similar to her violin case but smaller. It was his flute case.

"Azuma!" Kahoko dug into the thick snow. When she saw a thin strand of purple, her speed picked up furiously, panting laboriously. Her fingers were red and numbed by the cold but she did not care. Soon, she uncovered his upper body, which was about ten inches under the white stuff. Placing his hands and upper body onto her shoulder, she tugged the boy free from his snow trap. She then fell to the hard snow, breathing hardly.

"Azuma? Talk to me!" Kahoko hugged the body of the unconscious boy to hers. He was so cold that his pale face was almost light purple. With trembling hands, Kahoko felt for a pulse at his neck. She sighed in relief and happiness when she felt one, weak but there. His chest was barely moving. Her mind panicked once again. What should she do now?

'_Warm him up!'_ Her inner mind screamed at her. Yes, warm him up. But how? She grabbed her bag without letting go of him even for a second, trying to give him a little heat from her body. Kahoko found her phone and fumbled with the digits. She had to clear the numbers twice because her hand was trembling so much in fear and cold. Finally, she got the right number.

"Hihara-senpai! I found him! I need help! We are in the park!" She blurted out through her cries immediately after the other side of the phone had picked it up.

"Yunoki? Which part of the park?" The usually happy voice was now filled with worries like that time he was concern over Kahoko. Without wasting time, she told him directions as simple and precise as possible to their location.

"I'll be right there!" Hihara said before cutting the line. She embraced the purple haired boy tighter, blowing warm breathe into his face and hands. Her eyes were wide with horror and they contain fear in them.

"Don't die. Don't leave me…" She muttered continuously at the boy, tears dripping onto his lifeless face.

……**.**

She did not know for how long she sat there in the snow, hugging him. His face was no longer purple but it was still as white as the snow around him. Occasionally she would pat his face, trying to wake him up, becoming even frantic when she noticed that his breathing became even shallow. Then she would chant 'calm down' non-stop to herself before she resumed warming his fingers and face, praying that Hihara would arrive soon. This process repeated about five times before Hihara finally burst through the bushes.

"Kaho-chan!" The green haired senior panted. The air around seemed to be rising in steam. Kahoko could see his exhausted body trembling slightly through her tears blurred eyes.

"Hihara-senpai…" She said his name with a huge feeling of relief washing over her. Hihara then briskly walked over to them, breathing normally once again like he had walked the way here instead of running. It was not really something to be amazed of since Kahoko knew that Hihara was an athletic person. Plus, blowing a trumpet requires good breathing system too.

"Come now, Kaho-chan. We have to get him out of here." He lifted the unconscious body of the Seiso Gakuen prince and securing Azuma onto his back. Kahoko nodded and got up, wobbling a little because her legs were numb from sitting in the snow for too long. She followed the trumpet player blindly without a protest or a question on their destination. When they finally stopped, she saw the familiar gates to her house.

"Your house is the nearest so I took the liberty to bring him here…" Hihara explained, a little apologetically because he made the decision without asking her permission. Kahoko's brain cleared and refocused. She immediately dug for her keys in her bag, opening the locks and throwing open the gates as fast as she could.

"Can you bring him upstairs? Put him in a bed and turn on the heater please. There's no one at home so just put him in any bed you find suitable." Kahoko ordered before rushing to the kitchen, leaving Hihara rather stunned. Gently, he brought the boy up the stairs. Only now did Hihara realize that his friend was really light, almost like a woman's body, lean and thin. Opening a door at random, he entered a neat little room with a single bed. A notebook from Seiso Gakuen on the desk told him that this was Kahoko's room after he had laid the purple haired boy on the warm bed. Delicately, he tucked the blanket around his friend before sitting on the chair, waiting.

"…" Kahoko walked into the room quietly with a basin of warm water and a cloth draped over her arm. Her face was ghostly pale and her hair was in a mess. Her eyes were red from crying but they were filled with a glint that Hihara had never seen from her. Kneeling down beside the bed, she stroked Azuma's cold face, tracing his features, memorizing every single detail with her finger tips. Tears fell freely once again onto the bed sheets.

"I'll go and inform Miyabi-chan. I'll come back tomorrow." Hihara got up and said rather awkwardly when Kahoko seemed to forget about his presence. She nodded, wiping her tears with her already tear-stained shirt. For some unknown reasons, Hihara felt a little disappointment seeping through his chest. Before he could exit the room, a weak tug on his trousers stopped his track. He turned.

"Thank you…" Kahoko whispered.

"Nah… It's nothing. He's my best friend." Hihara smiled, petting the red head before exiting the room. When the he heard the door shut with a click, he ran out of the house as quickly and as quietly as he could. His labored breathing formed mist in the cold weather. True to his promise, he informed Miyabi. But somehow, he did not recognize his own voice talking into the phone. Once he snapped his phone shut, he walked to the park again. His mind was in a mess. Why was Kaho-chan crying? What was that look on her face?

Does this means… She loves him?

……**.**

Kahoko carefully peeled off his woolen robe that was very much wet by the melting snow. She blushed a little while doing it for it was her first time undressing a man but she quickly shook her head to clear off any stray thoughts. She had no time for these! She still could not help feeling a little shocked when she saw the back of his robe that was caked with dried blood. Miyabi had already told her about it and she had seen it with her own eyes once but she still could not believe anyone could do such a thing to him. Gently rolling his body to lie on his stomach, Kahoko had a clearer view of his back.

It was practically shredded into ribbons at the lower back. There was hardly a spot on his back where his smooth skin that was not covered with blood, bruise or wound. Looking at those horrible whip marks made Kahoko felt like someone had stabbed her in her heart. She felt the pain as if she was the one who was injured. Biting her lips, she wet the cloth and wiped off the dried blood as lightly as she could. She winced when the body twitched a little due to the pain occasionally. A small hiss emitted from the man when she swabbed alcohol and antiseptic over the raw wounds. Other than that, he was completely silent. With great difficulty, she brought the man into a sitting position without touching his back and bandaged his abdomen as nicely as she could. There were only bruises on his shoulder blades. They did not need to be bandaged, Kahoko decided. Swiftly, she dressed in a bath robe that belonged to her father and laid him back on the bed. His face had regained slight color but it was still pale.

"Azuma…" Kahoko called softly. No response. She tried again, this time, she whispered into his ears. She was not aware that her hands were cupping his cold one. Seeing the still body that was barely moving, she gently laid her head on his thin chest. A smile graced her face when the soft but strong thudding of his heart. The steady heartbeat reminded her of the metronome used to keep their playing in tempo. She wondered why Miyabi said not to send him to a hospital. She figured that the girl must have her reasons. She'll have to find it out from the man lying on her bed now. Slowly, as consistent pounding lulled her, her eyelids began to feel extremely heavy.

"Please be alright…" She whispered before her eyes closed completely. It was the first time she slept so peacefully since she came back from the supposed vacation. The setting sun watched the two figures slept in deep slumber together, with the girl's head on the man's chest.

……**.**

**That's it. Well, I don't think this is the best I've written. Instead I think it made to the worst three. Can't help it because when I wrote it, I was stressed up to the max. Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! The next chappie would be… I don't know. Hahaha… Maybe I'm in good mood then I'll post a short one on my birthday. ^_^**

**Review, people!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	7. Gone

**Well, I sort of promised to update on my birthday so here. Yeah, I feel bad for Kazuki too. I'll try to make it up.**

**Obviously, this chapter is to all the people I love. Thanks for being there for me every single time. Happy birthday to me! Lol!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 7**

**Gone**

She was in a meadow of lavender. The sweet smelling scent calmed her body as she lay on her stomach with her hands folded under her head like a content puppy basking in the sun after a satisfying meal. She was surrounded by the purple flower which swayed gently by the breeze. The ground below her body was soft yet not at all squishy as she thought soft mud would be. For some unknown reasons, she moved her hands away from supporting her chin and rubbed her cheek softly on the warm ground. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling.

Then, a stalk of grass tickled her under her nose. Annoyed, she lifted her hand to swat off the bothersome thing. Instead of the thin long stalk of grass that she thought, her hand felt something warm and soft. Fingers. Her eyes snapped open.

Smiling mischievously at her, a man with gorgeous gold eyes and purple fair exactly the color of the lavender came into her view. His face was pale, nearly white, but a slight pink color painted his cheeks. He was holding a strand of his own long purple hair under her nose. So that's what tickled her!

"Getting a little too comfortable, aren't we?" He mocked. Kahoko looked down at what he meant. She was lying on his chest, his robes parted to show his lean chest. Their legs were intertwined and her own clothes were slightly revealing her body as well. And now, she was holding onto his hand! She gasped before pushing herself away from the man into a sitting position. Scrambling off the bed to the chair beside it that she remembered sitting on before she somehow crept up into the bed, she smoothed her own clothes, eyes down on her lap to hide her tomato red face. The man observed her every action with great amusement. He could fully see the girl's lovely rose pink cheeks as she tried breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Don't worry. I prefer my partner to be active in bed as well." He whispered as he got up. At first thought, she wanted to yell at him but all the anger evaporated when he coughed. Kahoko immediately reached out to pat his back but stopped just in time before touching them. His injuries.

"Yunoki-senpai! Are you alright?!" Worries laced her question. After a while, he looked up at her concern face. It was pale, donned with a frown.

"What did I say about calling my name when we are alone?" He said, obviously not pleased by her words.

"Azuma! This is no time for games! How are you feeling?" She scolded before repeating her concerns once again gently. He stretched his back straight, touching over the bandages gingerly before looking into the girl's worried eyes.

"I'm fine. It was slightly more painful than usual but now it is gone. I have to say, if you have any intention to enter the medical field, I would say that you would make a nice little nurse." He touched the neat work of cloth that wrapped around his lower abdomen. She sighed, not bothering to properly listen to him except for the first two words.

"On the other hand, the patients will have to be extra careful for having such an absent minded person taking care of them. They might find themselves being squished when she falls asleep on them." He teased. Kahoko blushed furiously once again when she remembered the position they were in. He chuckled at her reaction. She never fails to amuse him. Squirming uncomfortably at his stare, she got up and headed to the door.

"I'll prepare breakfast." She muttered before literally running out of the room in embarrassment. He got up slowly and walked toward the table where a small black box laid. He unlatched the hooks and opened the container, revealing his precious gold flute resting in red velvet.

……**.**

She was definitely boiling from inside when she reached the kitchen. Her breathe were in big pants as she clutched her hands at her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart. She was sure that if she stayed in that room for even a second longer, her heart would thud out of her body. When she calmed down sufficiently, she quickly took out cooking apparatus and food from the refrigerator to make breakfast. Trying to keep her hands and mind busy on preparing breakfast so that they would not wander off, she concentrated hard on the meal she was making but somehow, the image of her nuzzling on a particular man's smooth chest kept invading her thoughts. The sweet smell of his hair lingered around her being. Even though she should be inhaling the scent of food cooking, the scent memory of his lavender hair overpowered every single other smell surrounding her.

"Mou! Stop thinking of him!" She shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts as she reprimanded herself. After that, she blanked out her mind and focused on preparing the meal.

_Ding dong!_

The doorbell made Kahoko looked up from her chore. Her family was not supposed to be home until the following week. Thinking it might be Hihara or perhaps Miyabi, she motioned to turn off the stove but before she did, Azuma appeared at the door of the kitchen.

"It's ok. I'll get it." He told her. The smile he gave her nearly melted her into a puddle. It was that sweet, gentle smile that she loved. The one that was pure and sincere instead of the fake one he usually wears. Before she could give him any respond, he vanished from her sight. Kahoko sighed inwardly, her traitorous inner voice wishing that he would stay a little longer. She returned to her duty, slightly disappointed.

"Azuma! Breakfast is ready." She called when she had laid the plates laden with omelet, sausages, bacons, toast and salads on the table.

'_He's been at the door for quite long. I wonder who is it…'_ She thought silently when she remembered that he had gone to answer the doorbell. Taking of her apron and walking out to the hallway, she was surprised to find it empty. The door was closed. Panic began to rise within her.

'_Perhaps he had gone back to the room… Maybe it was just some kids playing pranks…'_ She told herself. The kitchen was at the end of the hallway. She would not notice him pass by if he had gone up to bed again. Breaking into a run, she ran up the stairs two at a time and burst into her room.

The window was opened. A cold, winter breeze blew into the empty room as it tugged playfully at the curtains. Open in display on her desk was the box she had found along with him. His gold flute glinted sinisterly in the morning sunlight like it was teasing her the way he always did. Wrapped around the gold instrument was an ivory white sheet. Hesitantly, she took the paper and unfolded it.

'_No…'_ She fell to her knees, tears welling up quickly at her eyes. The paper had fluttered lightly to the floor as she suddenly got up and ran out into the white wonderland without a single warm clothing on or a single idea where she was heading. The paper that lay on the carpeted floor floated into the air once again when a strong gust of chilly wind blew through the opened windows.

_I'll be gone for awhile. I've left something precious with you. Take good care of it._

It was an untidy scrawl but no matter how untidy it was, it was still written in magnificently graceful strokes. There was not enough time to add a signature to it.

……**.**

**Okay. Here! It's a rather short chapter. Didn't really have the time to write this properly. I hope you guys are happy with it! I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible but first I have to update my Furuba fanfiction as well. So this will be the last chapter for this year!**

**Happy New Year!**

**Now, my presents please! I mean, review please! ^_^**

**Twilight Cherry**


	8. “You’re His Special Someone”

**You guys must have been wondering where I vanished to. Well, I did not. I was just too confused on how to continue the story. Too many branches. Well, I hope I've picked the best one.**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 8**

"**You're His Special Someone"**

She was back into a daze, just like before. Completely oblivious to her surroundings, she sat on the cold ground holding her knees to her chest. She was unaware of the faint trickle of liquid that ran quietly down her cheeks or the stabbing cold that was seeping into her body. She sat shivering but her mind was totally blank of what to do next. Her heart ached with worries. Strings of questions trailed in her brain. Where did he vanish to? Is he alright? What if this time he is hurt so badly that she would never see him again? Who is it that is doing this to him? The mass of unanswered questions rolled again and again in her head. She sat curled up on the street sobbing silently like a little girl who had lost her way.

"Kaho-chan?" An inquiring voice broke through her jumbled up thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She lifted her head slowly. An image of a boy with green hair, blurred by tears registered in her mind. His eyes were filled with concern.

"Hihara-senpai…" Her voice broke. She heard the trumpet player sucked in a breath of shocked. Realizing that her face was in a mess, she numbly brought a hand up to wipe off the tear stains. Her fingers felt raw, frostbitten. She knew that her fingers were important if she wanted to be a professional violinist but now, they did not matter at all.

"What are you doing here?!" Hihara exclaimed as he quickly shrugged off his coat and draped it around her small form. His coat was warm and it sent its warmth coursing through her body. However, that warmth did not reach her heart. Her heart was still cold with fear and worries for a particular purple haired man.

Before she knew it, she was home, sitting at the warm kitchen. The breakfast she had prepared were left untouched on the table. After wrapping her with another coat he found hanging on the coat hanger, Hihara cleared the cold food and fumbled around the kitchen. Five minutes later, he brought a glass of warm milk and wedged it between her hands.

"Drink up." He ordered her. Robotically, she brought the glass to her lips and drank its content slowly. The milk tasted bland, like plain water but the heat it contained warmed her up further. After she emptied the glass, she placed it on the table with a dull thud. She still could not think properly. Hihara took the glass, poured more warm milk into it and placed it in front of her before settling himself into the seat opposite her.

"What happened? I came earlier. You did not lock your door so I entered without permission but there was no one…" He said. The red haired girl only responded with silence. Her looks were still blank, far away.

"Where's Yunoki? I found his note on the floor of your room." He muttered meekly, feeling ashamed for entering a girl's room without permission. At the mention of that name, her eyes became focused again. A frantic expression appeared on her pale face when she thought of the person he mentioned. She bit her lips to stop herself from crying out.

"I don't know…" She whispered after she choked back her tears. Kahoko took the glass and swallowed a mouthful of milk to further choke down her sob. Upset and heartbroken that he could not do anything to comfort her, Hihara stared at her forlornly as colorless liquid flowed again from her already puffy red eyes. They sat like that without saying a word until the girl's tears dried up. Even then, both of them did not attempt to break the silence. Only when her cell phone rang, the silence was finally broken.

"Hello?" Her greetings were flat and disjointed.

'_Kahoko-san? It's Miyabi.'_ When the person identified herself, the fog in Kahoko's mind cleared instantaneously. Her grip on the phone tightened. She quickly swallowed the bile that had formed from crying so much.

"Miyabi-san? Azuma… Is Azuma back? How is he?" Her voice quivered a little when she said that name. The girl on the other side of the phone did not seemed to be surprised when Kahoko used his given name but the green haired boy sitting in front of her felt a stab at his heart. He flinched slightly but it had gone unnoticed by the violinist. She was concentrating too much as she anticipated an answer from the caller.

'_Yes… He's back. Listen, can you meet me at Stella's Café at 3 o'clock later? I'll explain then.' _The answer came in a rush but Kahoko listened properly to every single thing she said.

"Okay…" After exchanging quick goodbyes, she pushed the 'end' button before once again lifting her gaze to the trumpeter. He tried to look like he was eager for explanation but he could not hide the torn expression in his eyes. She thought that he was worried for his best friend as well, thus, did not agonize over it.

"It was Miyabi-san. She said to meet her at Stella's Café later. 3 o'clock. She would explain then." She told the boy. He nodded stoically. After an awkward moment of silence, he got up slowly.

"Well, I guess I'll leave now." He forced a smile at her. She returned his smile with a small one, grateful for what he did.

"Arigatou, Hihara-senpai. For everything…" She got up as well and followed him to the door. Realizing that his coat was still wrapped around her, she quickly took it off and hand it back to him.

"It's nothing. Well, then…" He tried to control his movement, trying not to snatch the coat and bolt out of the door, running away again. He turned and walked out slowly, feeling that his legs were extremely heavy to move.

"Ano, Hihara-senpai? Would you like to meet Miyabi-san with me?" She suddenly called out. Maybe she thought that he might want to know about his friend's condition as well. However, it brought another stab of pain to him but he did not show it. He turned around and nodded, smiling happily like he had always.

"I'll see you later then!" He put in the right amount of enthusiasm before sprinting down the lane with a goodbye wave. When he turned into another street, out of her sight, he stopped in his dash. His hand fell to his side limply. Internally, he was cursing himself for being such an idiot. Why does it hurt when he thought he had given up on her since he found out she had feelings for Azuma? Why did he say 'yes' when she asked him to come along?

……**.**

She was playing with her dessert, nervousness and fear growing stronger every passing second. Why couldn't the hands of the clock move faster? It seemed like ages since she had reached the café but actually only mere minutes had passed. The green haired boy sitting in front of her was once again ignored as she was deeply immersed in her own world. A thousand 'what ifs' ran through her thoughts. What if he is hurt again? What if it is much worse than the last? What if she would never see him again? All those made her heart clenched painfully.

"I'm sorry I'm late." A gentle voice reached her inner mind and guided her head to look up. Staring back at her was a girl with wavy brown hair. Her eyes carried a gentle glow that matched her voice but it was also misted slightly with concern and sadness.

"No, you're just in time." Hihara got up and pulled a chair for her in a gentlemanly way. She thanked him quietly before giving her orders to the waiter who had just showed up.

"Sorry to barge into your meeting like this, Miyabi-chan!" The trumpet player ruffled his own hair apologetically. The girl smiled at him before saying that she did not mind.

"You have the right to know about onii-sama as well. After all, you are his very first friend aside from us who are related to him by blood." The girl answered.

"Heh?! Me? Yunoki's first friend?" Hihara exclaimed in surprised. It was quickly replaced with an expression of confusion. Miyabi sighed a little before sipping gracefully from her tea cup. The red haired girl had remained silent all this while, registering every single word that came out from those delicately shaped lips that was so similar to his. She waited patiently for her to settle down and tell them about him.

"Well, maybe second…" She muttered to herself. She seemed to be lost in her own memory for a moment before focusing back on to the two listeners. They were looking at her. One was of the expression of confusion while the other was plain blank, emotionless. However, in that blank face, the gold eyes betrayed the empty look for it was brimmed full with pain.

"Onii-sama is fine, or so I hope. I don't really know." The sister of the flutist told them. Kahoko bit her lips. Was what she feared really coming true? Flashes of straight red marks popped up in her mind and sent a shiver down her body. She quickly erased that thought, concentrating on what Miyabi was going to say.

"All I can tell you that he is back home, in the Yunoki estate. I saw the men bringing him in. He was not in his room though. I don't know where they brought him to…" She continued sadly, regretting that she could not tell them more.

"Miyabi-san… Do you know who is… Who is doing this to A-… him?" She could not say his name. His name was choked in her throat together with the forming sob. The person questioned dropped her head to avoid Kahoko's painfully gaze.

"You saw those marks…" It was not a question. It was a statement. Kahoko nodded.

"I… I know but there is no point telling you who. You wouldn't be able to do anything. Neither could any of us." She whispered. Miyabi continued to stare at her cup of coffee as Kahoko pondered on the information given by the brown haired girl.

"Then, what should we do now? Why did you call me?" The violinist questioned in a flat tone, feeling torn for wanting to help the person she love but unable to do so.

"I just thought you would want to know. After all, you are someone onii-sama treasure dearly." Kahoko blinked, not understanding that sentence. Miyabi took another sip before looking back into the red haired girl's questioning face.

"I guess he never said so. It is not his style to declare his emotions openly but I could see that you are someone special to onii-sama." The edge of her lips lifted into a smile. It was a melancholic smile but there were traces of gratefulness in it.

"You know, he once said that the pain was so very much bearable since he entered the concours. I knew he actually meant since he met you." She told Kahoko. A pinkish hue tinted the red haired girl's cheeks.

"Everything will be fine… Somehow… Don't worry so much, Kahoko-san. Onii-sama is strong. Have faith in onii-sama. Believe in him. That's all I ask from you." It was weird hearing this from a girl younger than herself but Kahoko nodded anyway. It was like he was being given away to be married. The violinist laughed inwardly at the statement. Her heavy feelings lifted ever so slightly.

"You should go back and rest. I'll call you when I know more." Miyabi said kindly, noting the dim rings of grey under her eyes accompanied with the slightly swelling of her eyes for crying too much.

'_She must be so worried'_, Miyabi thought silently. She smiled. She was glad that someone like Kahoko had fallen for her brother. When Kahoko got up from her seat, the green haired boy followed her act. Miyabi caught the boy's arm, holding the boy back. Kahoko noticed when the boy suddenly halted in his action. Miyabi smiled.

"Do you mind if I ask Hihara-san to escort me home?" She asked sweetly. Kahoko smiled in return.

"No. Thank you so much, Miyabi-san. And thank you to you too, Hihara-senpai. I'm fine now so please bring Miyabi-san home safely." She said. There was more strength and cheerfulness in her tone compared to earlier now that she at least knew about his whereabouts. Hihara stared at her for a moment before sighing internally, nodding as well.

"Hihara-senpai, please cheer up. You are not as happy as you used to be. I kind of miss your happy self." Kahoko told the boy before heading towards the opposite side of where the other two was heading. The green haired boy watched her until she disappeared from his view before turning back to the girl next to him.

"You love her too as well, don't you, Hihara-san?" Miyabi quietly stated as they made their way back to Yunoki's residence. The boy froze in motion for a second before resuming his pace beside the girl. The trumpet player's eyes were on the ground.

"She loves Yunoki." He replied. After another minute of silence, he lifted his head to look in front again. There was grim determination on his face.

"I shouldn't be jealous. She never loved me before. Only perhaps as a senior, a close friend. I should wish her happiness with Yunoki!" He exclaimed loudly. Miyabi giggled at his childish optimism before becoming silent once again.

"Yes, we should. But most Yunokis had led a lonely life. Our lives were never our own. Happiness seems to be an illusion sometimes…" Miyabi muttered. Hihara did not understand her words deeply but he heard the wisdom and loneliness in her tone. A small smile appeared again on her face. It was the same sad smile that she had always used, a smile that did not reached her eyes. Come to think of it, Yunoki's smile had never reached his eyes as well until that one time when he saw his best friend with Kahoko together. His cold eyes were warm, glowing. Hihara wondered if perhaps one day, he would be able to see this girl's eyes glow with happiness as well.

"But onii-sama is different. Perhaps he might be able to obtain true happiness…" Miyabi said confidently, praying hard that what she said would come true. Azuma was her favorite brother after all and she loved him dearly.

'_Yes. With Kahoko-san by his side, he might be able to…'_

……**.**

**Gawd! I've just made things more complicated than I intended to! Oh gosh… Nevermind. I'll just write whatever that fits. Hahaha… Such an irresponsible writer. Already I don't upload constantly and now I screw up my own plot! Hahaha… Don't worry. I'LL FIX IT SOMEHOW! For Azuma-sama's sake!**

**Oh yeah, I remembered someone asked me to post it in the author's note if I ever made a video in youtube on Azuma using Drigo's Serenade. Well, I had. Should be posting it the next day or so. Check out my other videos on Azuma and Kahoko as well! ^_^ Oh, be warned that there are some yaoi (boy's love) video in my channel as well. If you don't like, don't click on it!**

**Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! It's the year of the tiger! Roar! How I wish they print Kisa's picture on the red packets. She's so cute! Kisa from Fruits Basket, I mean. ^_^**

**Now, review please!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	9. Confined and Hope

**I'm sorry it took so long! I promised I will fix the story somehow. Well, I hope I did instead of making it worse. We'll see at the end, kay?**

**Dedicated to Priscilla-chan once again! Thanks a lot for the idea! Though I think you don't even understand what you had said to give me the idea. Nevertheless, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 9**

**Confined and Hope **

An oil lamp was burning merrily on a stand jutting out from the wall. The metal chain clattered as they slapped against the stone floor. Shackles were marking his pale skin at his wrist and ankles. His purple long hair was mated with harden red liquid, covering the numerous slashes on his back. A few lost strands swung lifelessly as his head droop in weariness. He was worn out and numb. His shaking knees finally gave way. He would have fell face down on the cold floor if it weren't for the metal chains that holding him up. As his legs collapsed, the metal rings cut into his wrists, causing him to flinch a little. His arms, held up, were sore and tired. How he wished he could bring them down to his side to relieve the sore feeling.

"What's your answer now?" A hand reached for his chin and forced it up. His eyes, glowing with determination, met the stranger's. The stranger's face turned into a frown.

"No!" He answered strongly, stronger than he appeared to be. He jerked his own head out of the grip. The stranger was angered. The person's fist curled into balls. A sharp sting was felt on his abdomen after he blacked out for a moment. He snorted a little again. The stranger avoided his face again. His eyes contained slight triumph.

"Fine! Suit yourself!" The stranger stomped away, leaving him alone again. Once he heard a loud slam, he nearly dropped all his defenses, mentally and physically, as he was totally exhausted. He had no more energy left except for that tiny ounce that would only function when adrenaline was present. He leaned slowly against the cold stone wall to soothe the burning essential on his back.

After a few minutes or so, he managed to gather back what little strength left in him to bring his head up. Looking out through a little window, he could see the moon glowing gently at him, reminding him of the nights he spent with her. He had wished he could see her face, caress her soft cheek, hold her in his arms, feel her butterfly touches and hear her say his name. _His_ name. Not the family name. His given name. He wanted to call her name, not caring it was softly at her ears or just calling out to make her blush.

However, in this place, he must not ever utter her name once. Not even in his heart. He could only picture her face in his mind.

……**.**

Kahoko was staring at the golden flute. She stroked the gold instrument gently, feeling the cold metal against her fingers. Then, she fumbled with the paper. Only now did she notice that the paper was scented lightly with lavender. Bringing the sheet to her nose, she inhaled the smell, remembering his warmth around her when he embraced her. Still immersed in her world of imagination where he was beside her, she was pulled out quite suddenly by the bell of the door. She got up reluctantly and dragged her feet to the door, hoping silently that the person would have gone since no one answered the door for so long. However, her wish was clearly unheard.

"Good evening, Hino-san." A man in formal suit bowed before her. What surprised her was not the formality but the deep purple hair of the stranger. Tears found their way to her eyes again. When the man stood up, she could see the striking similarity between him and the stranger in front of her, bringing heart ache she could not see the person she truly desire.

"I think you can guess who I am. I am Yunoki Kazuma, Azuma's eldest brother." He smiled gently. Kahoko could now see that his brother was slightly different from him. Kazuma had the similar beauty that seemed to be a normal thing among the Yunoki family but his hair was shoulder length, slightly deeper than Azuma, and his eyes carried a kind and warm feeling in them, unlike Kahoko's love, who had slight mischievous and sternness in them.

'_But when he smiles, his eyes were very much gentle as well.'_ Kahoko thought as she recalled the one time she saw him truly smile. She guided the man into the house and served tea. After he had settled down, sipped on the tea she brought, Kahoko inquired politely on his business with her.

"Oh, actually, I'm here in Miyabi's place. She can't go out that much because they know that she is the closest to Azuma. It would evoke suspicions and that would cause us all in deep trouble. And furthermore, I would like to see for myself the girl who had captured my brother's rather cold and emotionless heart." Kazuma laughed lightly, amused by the slight red blush that appeared on her cheek.

"I don't see anything special about you, I beg your pardon, but perhaps it's because I've never really been able to understand what love is." There, she caught note of a melancholic tone, somehow alike to the tone that Miyabi had used. She bit her lips.

"Kazuma-san, who is that 'they' you had mentioned? Please tell me! Are they hurting him?" Kahoko asked desperately. Her fists were slowly turning white from gripping too hard as she hold herself from breaking down.

"It's best if you don't know. It's easier for us and for you as well. I'm sure Miyabi-chan had said that as well. Don't worry, Azuma would be fine. I promise." Though he was just a stranger she had met minutes ago, she trusted him for he was her only hope, her only assurance that her beloved was really safe.

"Here. This is supposed to be something he wanted to say to you but I can't really tell whether it is real or not. It might be a fake." He handed Kahoko a sheet of paper. She took and held it to her chest, closed her eyes and breathe in deeply before flipping the folded paper open. She bit her lips down a little when she saw the familiar writing and slightly brownish red stain.

'_Blood…'_

Her heart clenched painfully once again as the unwanted picture of the state he probably would be in popped up in her mind. Her eyes ran through the words uncountable times. She was so absorbed by that few words that she did not notice the silent departure of her guest.

_Protect my special something I've left with you. I'm fine. Be strong._

It was without signature as well. Though the elder Yunoki brother had doubts that it might be a fake letter, Kahoko could tell that it was real.

……**.**

"Azuma-sama…" A soft feminine voice called his name. He slowly pulled himself out of the fogged world in his mind and forced his eyes to focus on the caller. A pale, beautiful face framed with light bronze hair came into his view. Her delicate fingers caressed his face gently. He did not gave her the same rude treatment by jerking his face away that he gave the stranger as he was brought up to be a gentleman but the strong stubbornness in his eyes did not fade. The lady sighed.

"If only you were not so stubborn and just give in, you wouldn't have to suffer these." She muttered in her sing-song like tone as she traced the whip marks on his chest and the cuts the chains made on his wrist. Then, a faint clinking above where his hands were cuffed erased all the confused thoughts in his mind. His senses immediately sharpen and his strength slowly returned. His hands, still tired from being hung up, fell lifelessly to his side. If muscles could talk, they would be thanking the lady for being able to relax at last. She proceeded to unlock the shackles on his ankles.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, eyeing the lady suspiciously. It might be one of the stranger's tricks. A trap. But the woman did not seem to care for his untrusting behavior. She handed him a wet cloth to further sober up himself quietly.

"I have things that I want to do as well." She answered simply as she helped him onto his feet and guided him up the stairs.

"O-Obaa-sama…" He stuttered. His eyes went round with fear and shock when he saw the elderly at the top of the flight of stairs. He could not help but tremble a little. He was not afraid of the two men in black behind her but he really had no more energy to resist if they were to kick him back into that dungeon. They came over to support him with stronger grips than the lady. He, on the other hand, continued to stare with wide eyes at his grandmother.

"Yunoki-sama." The lady bowed down respectfully before turning to him and reprimanded, "Don't be so rude. I called your grandmother here."

His eyes enlarged again, this time in surprise. He did not know what to do anymore for now.

……**.**

**Okay, I've introduced a few new characters. It's rather obvious now, isn't it? I'm very, very sorry for such a long delay!! *Bows down* I'm sorry for the rather short chapter! *Bows down* I'm sorry I don't know when is the next update! *Bows down* *Droplets of blood trickle down forehead* Blood!! *Fainted***

**Well, it's the usual. Review please!!**

**Twilight Cherry**


	10. Do You Want To Know?

**Sorry for the delay due to various reasons! I thought I made it so clear! The storyline is rather common, no? Never mind. Just read on then…**

**Thanks to my dear reviewers!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You…**

**Chapter 10**

**Do You Want To Know?**

Unfocused, since she had lost contact with him, Kahoko stared at that black case. Her hand clutched the now crumpled ivory paper. Now and then, a drop or two would tend to fall but she would quickly rub them off. She had to be strong. She wanted to get some clear answers after some time of thinking by herself. Who was her to him? He never really did clarify his feelings though Miyabi had said that she was someone special to him. But in what way? A really close friend? True, he had kissed her but it may be just one of his mischievous pranks. So, what were his feelings towards her?

And, of course, mainly, she wanted to know who had been abusing him. Even as a friend, she wanted to know. She wanted to help. She was just that kind of girl. She would not leave a hurt puppy on the road, what's more, a human whom she dearly treasures, whether it is as a friend or lover.

Her ringing tone of her mobile phone brought her out of her thoughts, not abruptly but gently because it was playing Drigo's 'Serenade'. The gentle music calmed her and soothed her nerves every time she was about the break down, without fail. Perhaps it was because this song held an especially precious memory to her.

"Hello, Miyabi-san." She answered after looking at the name that appeared on the screen. She had her hopes up again but not too high as people usually say, don't keep your hopes to high unless you want your disappointments to be high as well. However, her instinct told her that the girl was calling her for some good news. She took in a deep breath.

"Good afternoon, Kahoko-san. I am calling to tell you that onii-sama has finally returned. He's not in a pretty state but he requested for you." She said in a rather strained voice. Kahoko wondered how bad it was this time but she could imagine the horrible slashes she had seen previously in her mind once again, crystal clear. Then, she realized that Miyabi was waiting for her answer.

"I'll come over immediately!" The violinist exclaimed, unbuttoning her shirt with one hand and another still clutching the phone to her ear because since the younger girl had not hung up, she figured that she might had something more to say. And she was right.

"There's a car to pick you up. I figure it would be at your door by now." True enough, when Kahoko peeped out of her curtains, a sleek black car was parked in front of her gate.

"Thank you, Miyabi-san." She muttered gratefully into the phone. She made a note in mind to thank her face-to-face and give her a hug when they meet later.

"Not at all. Please hurry over." Miyabi said with a rather worried tone. The red haired girl needed no more instructions to hurry. Once she had snapped the phone shut, she went into accelerated speed changing, grabbing her purse and the black case, and running down the stairs two at a time. The chauffeur greeted her with a stiff bow and opened the door for her politely. He had obviously recognized her as when Azuma had offered her a ride a few times. The car sped off without wasting a single second. Kahoko wanted to ask the driver about his young master but figured that if Miyabi-san and Kazuma-san could not tell her what she wanted to know, what's more a mere servant? She kept quiet in the car, fidgeting nervously all the way to the Yunoki estate.

…**.**

Kahoko stood trembling in front of the huge wooden door of the Yunoki house as the servant opened it. Her heart was pounding hard, anticipating yet fearing every single second she still had before meeting him again, the person she love. She wanted to see him badly but she could not help being afraid of what she had seen in her mind before. She had once seen the amount of pain he had suffered before this and this time, she had a feeling it would be much, much worse. And deep down in her gut, she had a feeling that it was partially her fault.

"This way please, miss." The servant led her into the huge compound. Before she could clearly register her surrounding, she was tackled by a girl with long brown hair.

"Miyabi-san!" Kahoko hugged her in return, glad that the warm greeting made her calmer. She felt a cool sensation on her shirt. The poor girl was crying. Kahoko wanted to cry in fear as well but she composed herself. As the older one, she had to set a better example though the younger girl was in many ways, more mature. She was trained to be so, Kahoko told herself.

"I'm sorry for that." The girl unlatched herself from the red head violinist, face looking downwards. Though she was trying to hide it, Kahoko caught glimpses of some red and puffy eyes under her bangs. As if clearing her head, Miyabi shook her head a little before looking up straight into Kahoko's eyes directly. Indeed, her eyes were swollen from crying, not for a while, but some long time. The older girl bit her lips.

"Come. I'll show you to onii-sama's room. He just woke up." She hurriedly pulled Kahoko along with her as if fearing that staying a minute longer in the compound would bring harm to them. Unknown to Kahoko, it surely would bring more trouble to the Yunoki's.

…**.**

"Onii-sama, I've brought Kahoko-san." The brown haired girl said softly to the person lying to the bed while Kahoko stood stunned at the doorway. The purple haired man who was on the bed stirred a little before opening his gold eyes, turning to the red haired girl who was trembling in shock again. With much strain, he held up a bandaged hand towards her, smiling gently at the girl. The wide eyed violinist did not need further instruction. She practically ran to catch his wavering hand before it hit hard on the bed, which would cause him more pain. Miyabi sneaked out of the room quietly, leaving the two alone.

"Yunoki-senpai!" She could not control the sudden burst of tears from her eyes. Clear liquid flowed down her cheeks as she held his hand to her face.

"How nice of you to come and visit me, Kahoko…" He said with slight sarcasm in his voice. There was a mischievous glint in those gold eyes of his. The red head violinist stared at him in disbelief for a moment before softening her expression. She could not bear being angry at him for long just by looking at his state.

"What happened? You're in quite a mess up state." He said as he continued to stroke her cheek. Kahoko's facial expression returned to him was shocked. Did he lose his mind under too much torture? But there was that serious, slightly dark glimmer in his expression which only Kahoko could see since she was the only one that was exposed the most to his other nature, telling her that he was still sober, still him.

"Look who's talking…" She tried to scold him but her voice choked, making it came out in a mutter. She was both angry and worried at the same time. Angry at how could he still tease her when he had obviously undergone some terrible treatment. Worried about his degree of injuries.

"And what happened? I just left you for a week or two and you forgot how to greet me?" He pushed himself to sit up. He was not disturbed by the numb, tingling sensation all over his body. Kahoko's hands were fluttering restlessly around him, thinking that he might need help but could not settle on a spot where she could hold him without hurting him. However, he did not need help so she returned her hands to her lap and stared at them as he set himself comfortably leaning against the head board of the bed.

"So?" Azuma questioned the red headed girl. A blush crept up her neck and cheeks but she kept them well hidden from the man. He knew very well though, that her face was turning into that gentle hue of a rose. She parted her lips a little but no words came out. His hand sneaked under her chin, lifting her head to make her look eye to eye with the flutist. Without a warning, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Her eyes were wide with surprise while her mind was a complete blank. The only thing that registered was that soft, velvety feeling that was on her lips. It was a familiar feeling.

"Azuma." He reminded the tomato red girl. She was totally red from her neck to her face and ears. Smirking in glee, he looked away from the horribly embarrassed girl, sparing her from fainting due to over rush of blood to the brain. The purple haired man sniggered quietly as he peeped from the corner of his eyes at the deeply breathing violinist occasionally. After a long pause, when she had finally managed to tone down that deep red color on her cheeks to a gentle pink, she gathered her courage to look at the gold eyes that were just pure cynical.

"Azuma…" She whispered ever so gently, erasing all the older man's previous intention of bullying her further. This time, he smiled kindly in return, pleased. Kahoko could not help but smile back in return. It felt like it had been so long since she had seen him smile sincerely.

"Azuma, how are you?" Worries filled her eyes again as she asked the man silently. Seriousness were noticed in her voice, telling her senior that she was not joking and expected a proper answer.

"Just like how you see me now." He answered. Kahoko's brow twitched. She should have known that she would never get a proper answer from this man.

'Kahoko… Do you want to know what happened?" The injured man asked solemnly, staring at the ceiling. The red haired girl was surprised, both by the fondness in the way he had called her and the sudden change of mood. Inside, she sighed. This man was really unpredictable.

"Is it alright for me to know?" She questioned in return. Deep down, she really wanted to know but if it would cause more trouble to him, she would rather not. She did not want to visit him next in the hospital. Shocked by her own imagination picture, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to blank out her mind. Drawing a few deep breaths, she managed to erase the unpleasant scene from her thoughts.

"I would tell you if you want." He replied.

"Yes. Would you tell me? Would you… tell me everything?" Hesitantly, she mumbled. A sudden burst of courage exploded in her, making her look into the flutist gold eyes without wavering. The purple haired man was astonished by her determination.

'_This is indeed my Kahoko…'_ He thought in his heart. If she have such courage, he must have the strength to answer her questions as well.

"Yes. I would tell you everything you want to know…"

…**.**

**Yay! They finally reunite again. And now, I thought of putting the revelations here but it turned out to be too long in one chapter so it will be in the next. I'm sorry for leaving you guys in the dark again!**

**If you don't review, I'll understand but you know, reviews encourage me to write faster. ^_^**

**Twilight Cherry**


	11. His Story

**Yay! It's Azuma-sama's birthday! Let's celebrate! *throw confetti in the air* I'll always love you, Azuma-sama! I hope all of you readers would too! ^_^ Let's get on to the present!**

***bows* Thank you, respected and beloved readers and reviewers!**

**Because of You, For You and Only You**

**Chapter 11**

**His Story**

Patting the side of his bed, he motioned wordlessly for her to sit beside him. Flushed, she hesitated for a moment before standing up from her knelt down position and sat facing him. However, her eyes were fixed on her hands folded neatly across her lap. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he reached for her chin and lifted her head up, forcing her to look straight into his golden orbs. A small smile donned his face when he saw her expression. It was a total mess up mixture of determination, fear, worry and affection. Her eyes contained that pure seriousness yet slightly wavering feel she always had when she faced this senior.

"Why the scary face, Kahoko?" He questioned the girl who immediately turned red again.

"Aside from that, why don't you start?" She countered, fighting off her embarrassment by replacing it with bravery and curiosity.

"In a rush, aren't we?" The purple haired flutist continued to tease, ignoring her silent pressing for the main subject they were supposed to discuss. She bit her lips, her gaze dropping back to her hands though her head remained held up as if it was still supported by the pale slender fingers.

"Who am I really to you, Azuma?" She asked quietly. The older man blinked twice, the previous smile on his face was erased. There was a moment of silence between them, both submerged deep in their own thoughts. The first one to be able to recover was obviously the male. A mischievous smirk was formed by the thin lips of his.

"Why, of course, my best time-killer!" He answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Kahoko felt a stab in her heart. She did not notice the different glint in the man's eyes. When she did not reply, he knew that he had gone a little too far playing.

"My grandfather, Yunoki Miyoji, was the first to establish the Yunoki Corporate. He was young during that time and was confident in everything he did. He was also well brought up, as usual for a Yunoki, yes, we were famous for our ikebana even then. A perfect gentleman. Many men wanted to work with him and many ladies wanted him as their lifetime partner. But my grandfather had his eyes set on one magnificent woman, Shiroji Kotoki. Her father was one of my grandfather's important allies in his business. Shiroji was overjoyed that such a capable man had fallen for his daughter and engaged them without his daughter's consent. Thus, they were married. That's right. Kotoki-obaasama. The one you had met on few occasions." He paused, a small sad smile playing on his expression.

"Then… She was against it?" Kahoko asked when the stop became a minute long. The flutist looked at her again with amazement.

"I guess it takes a girl to understand it, huh? Hmmm…" He pondered in amusement.

"Anyway, let's continue with the story, shall we?" Azuma stated. The girl nodded a little.

"She was indeed against it but at that time, arranged marriage was still a practice, so, she had no choice but to accept it." The storyteller stopped to catch his breath. Trying to remember the sequences and putting it properly was slowly taking a toll on his already worn out body although he thought he had rested more than enough. The violinist noticed it immediately, leaning forward anxiously.

"Are you alright, senpai?" She inquired, panicked. One soft caress on her cheek calmed her down almost instantly but her eyes were still troubled. He weakly pulled her nearer. Kahoko understood the gentle tug and went closer to him but she could not help blushing.

"I'm fine. If you would sit nearer, then I would not need to speak so loudly and use up all my energy." He told her. His gold eyes were still shining cheekily. The girl took it as a sign that he was still capable of staying awake for awhile, creeping even nearer to the man.

"If she was forced into an arranged marriage and understands the pain of it, why did she still make you go through that?" The red head asked after she had moved to the nearest she dared. They were so near, if they whisper, they would not miss a single word. A shiver ran down her spine when he whispered into her ears.

"Why are you concerned about that?" He questioned curiously. His eyes narrowed when she remained soundless, only reddening further. He knew he would not be able to gain an answer from her finally released from his insistence.

"It's not her doing, all these. Well, maybe she has her part but…" He thought for a moment before brushing it aside.

"I think we should continue from the story. Obaasama accepted the marriage reluctantly but a person did not. It was a man she was previously seeing to. Great grandfather Shiroji did not accept that man because his status was not comparable with the Shirojis. They were a highly ranked family then, even greater than the Yunokis but because Miyoji-ojiisama was growing fast in fame for his success, he caught great grandfather Shiroji's eyes. That man, Suzuki, was not satisfied and was upset that his lover was taken from him. He worked very, extremely hard to build his way upwards." He paused again for a minute of break.

"But then, your grandmother had already married your grandfather by then, right?" The violinist asked, confused. He wordlessly replied with a dip of his head. She looked around the room once, spotting a small table with a jug of water and a glass. She poured a cup and brought it to the injured man who accepted it. He sipped on it while she continued to ponder on what he had said so far.

"Everything was going well for my grandfather. He was over the moon. His business was booming and he got the woman he wanted. But as they say, the sea is calm before a storm. He faced a huge betrayal within his company and was set against a huge debt. This was an opportunity to Suzuki. During that time, he was also an equally successful man by then. He offered to settle the debt and buy Yunoki Corporate. Grandfather knew his intention but in order to save the many staffs from losing their job, he agreed. My extreme troubled grandfather was blinded by the offer and signed a contract without properly analyzing it. Thanks to that, Suzuki had controlled over our Yunoki family completely." Kahoko's eye went wide. Realization slowly fell into place.

"Then, the person doing all these is Suzuki-san?" She blurted out, her voice and body shivering badly.

"He's the main person behind this." He explained simply, taking another sip from the glass nonchalantly. Sensing the great fear emitting from the girl, he reached up and pulled her head onto his bandaged shoulder. Stroking her head softly, he slowly unraveled her anxiety.

"It's ok. What had happened was in the past. It's alright now." The purple haired man soothed her.

"B-But you won't know if it would happen again! What has it to do with you anyway? Why?" She muttered into his shoulder with anguish. Two clear drops of liquid fell from her eyes.

"Suzuki-san wanted revenge on both the Yunoki family and Shiroji family for taking away his love, and of course, for that time when great grandfather Shiroji looked down on him as well. But Suzuki-san is a smart person. He does not reveal himself in the outer. He is like the puppeteer who pulls strings behind the shadow and we are his puppets."

"Then, why is he doing this to you? Isn't it illegal?" She cried, hugging him. He winced a little before she realized and sprang away from him, both shy and worried shown clearly on her looks.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" She exclaimed in panic. Looking at her shock plus horror face, he could not help but laughing.

"I'm fine. You are just too cute, Kahoko. Cute and annoying at the same time." He resumed chuckling. The end of her lips dropped and her brow creased together.

"Well, sorry for being annoying!" The violinist was irritated by his playful attitude. Yet, she did not like his overly serious dark side either when he teased her. Somehow, that side always gave her creeps.

"I said earlier, he controlled the Yunoki family. If we do not do as he wishes, Yunoki Corporate would fall and many people will be in trouble. This," he gestured to all the bandages on himself, "is the results for defying him."

"Defying?"

"For canceling the transfer to England. For refusing to be engaged to the woman he chose for me. For… everything else." He whispered the last sentence so softly, if Kahoko wasn't so near and listening intently, she would not hear.

"Everything else?" She murmured quietly in return. The man did not reply but was deep in his own thoughts.

"You see, my elder brothers and sister were forced into marriage and to study something they did not want. I did not want the same way for myself so I rebelled." His face showed that fake smile he had often used in school, the smile that did not reach his eyes as if they were sarcastically laughing at someone for their idiocy. But to her who had seen both his personalities, she knew that this was his way of hiding his pain.

"And your family just let that person do as he likes?"

"Grandfather tried to oppose once but he was stopped immediately when Suzuki-san fired a number of top officers from the company. My father's marriage was also arranged. Suzuki-san made the Yunoki marry those with good pedigree backgrounds of his choice. That is why we don't have the freedom to love. My mother is from the famous Kobayashi family, Kobayashi Nadeshiko. Fortunately for my parents, they fell in love at first sight therefore they did not suffer. But for my brothers and sister, it was. Soon, Miyabi and I might also join them in the suffering."

"What about your grandmother? If she would just try to ask that Suzuki-san to stop, then…" Kahoko blinked a moment before the last sentence he said registered properly in his mind.

"She was more than glad to co-operate with her former lover. She was determined to make every life in the Yunoki family miserable in return for her misery. But, I didn't really understand her intention now…" He trailed off. Azuma stared in confusion when he looked at the girl with eyes round and wide.

"Might join them… Does that mean you are engaged now?" Kahoko breathed. Her chest was pounding hard, painfully as she waited for the answer though she knew clearly what it would be. The man remained soundless, confirming her guess.

"Then, why do you still ask for me?" She asked quietly. The male raised his brow.

"Wasn't it you that was extreme worry over me and wanted to see me so badly?" He countered. The older man was clearly making fun of her again but she was too much in distress to think properly. She got up stiffly.

"Well, I've seen you and you're fine, so I'm going. Excuse me." The violinist sped out of the room, tears blurring her eyes already, leaving the man staring at her back.

'_Maybe it's the best thing to do now… But have faith in me, Kahoko… Please believe in me…'_

…**.**

Dashing out with unclear vision due to the forming of salt water, I had no idea where I was heading. I only knew I had to get out of this place, away from here and away from the Yunokis forever, especially that one with long purple hair and plays the flute.

'_He was just too cruel. Why? Why did he have to tell me all these now?'_ Those thought ran angrily in my mind, frustrated at my own stupidity for falling for such an insensitive, emotionless man. And just when I thought he might also harbor slight feelings for me! Why did he have to give me false hopes? What 'I'm his special someone'?

"Ah!" I could not stop the yell out when I crashed blindly into someone. The person staggered a little before catching hold on me tightly on the shoulder.

"Well, well, what have we got here?" I looked up to see a man dressed in black suit with dark sunglasses. There were another few of them surrounding a rather elderly man, the person who had spoken.

"Hmmm…" Even without any self introductory, I could clearly guess his identity. But I did not have the time to think. I had to get away. The last thing I saw was that man with silver gray hair tilting his head to the left and my vision went blank.

…**.**

**Wee! Cliffy! Ah, it's super obvious now who that person is, right? Anyhow, I won't be able to tell you when the next update is because I have to start studying for my exams already. Hmmm… Should be somewhere in July or latest by August I think. I'm so SORRY! Once again, happy birthday, Azuma-sama! I wonder what he's up to this time… ^_^**

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**Twilight Cherry**


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